Is it you?
by nikka-chi
Summary: Lina is alone yet again a year after Gourry's departure, but soon Xelloss seeks her out. The full extent of his orders are unknown but one thing is for sure-lusting after Lina inverse is not an order. X/L ADULTS ONLY This will be a pretty long story, yay!
1. Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

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Lina scarfed down the hefty helping of food lay out so graciously in front of her. This morning she had stopped by just another small town to grab a bite for lunch; it had indeed been a long month for her without humanity. She stopped munching momentarily to glance at the empty chair in front of her, and she sighed heavily.

This pain was never going to end, was it? It had already been a year since Gourry had left, and she should be over this by now. She wasn't of course.

There was no easy way to say that she was still completely, and hopelessly, in love with him. Thinking about it only seemed to make her heart ache more, so, as usual; she just stopped thinking about it.

As she left the diner a storm cloud evaded the clouds above, and a sigh escaped her lips. Why did it have to start raining right when I decide to head out again? Eventually she gave up questioning the gods and dragged herself to the nearest hotel.

Getting a room was not easy, as the hotel manager had heard of the rumored blood-thirsty killer Lina Inverse. It took awhile but she managed to assure him that she was not the Lina he spoke of.

After collapsing onto the fluffy bed near the window Lina heard the first droplets of rain fall against her window pane. The sound made her a bit sleepy and the soft pitter patter seemed to be coaxing her into rest.

The water hadn't had to tell her twice as, since she was already tired from yesterday's trip, her eyes drifted downwards and she fell into a deep slumber.

OoO

Lina's sleep was interrupted by the roars of thunder outside her window. She groaned rather un-lady like and cursed. The notion of falling back asleep was not a very likely one, so she her feet off and onto the floor.

A chill swept through the tiny room as Lina tip toed to the fireplace. After lighting the fire she shivered as the flames began to sooth the coldness invading her body. Staring into the fire her mind reeled around and around. This reminded her of the last night she'd spent with Gourry, as he had stared into the flames just as she was now.

What had he been thinking about while dazing into his own thoughts?

Sylphiel no doubt. A wave of jealousy swept through Lina and for a moment the idea of slaughtering Sylphiel seemed almost enjoyable. Lina blinked and flushed, had she really just thought of harming Sylphiel?

Sighing, she walked over to the window to gaze out at the rumbling skies above. The day of Gourry's wedding had been a day similar to this one, only that they had been inside of the old church near Amelia's castle.

At first Lina had been hesitant to attend because of the possibilities of exposing herself to Gourry, but as soon as she had stepped into the quiet chapel her anger slowly melted into guilt. Gourry looked happier than she'd ever seen him, and that goes double for the little maiden Sylphiel.

Lina's heart had sunk lower into her stomach as she watched Gourry coddle his new bride. It had been unbearable to realize that she had never made him smile like that before, and she had been with him far more than Sylphiel had.

That had been the last time she'd seen the happy couple, and she preferred it that way. It's not like she'd have anything useful to say to him. Besides the fact that she still had feelings for him. But that wasn't important.

Getting over Gourry was harder than she first thought it would be. Just falling in love with him was hard enough.

Suddenly Lina's sleep had caught up to her and she leaned against the window sill, her eyes were closing slowly…slowly…

She jerked her head back as, out of nowhere, two arms encircled her small waist. Her skull came into contact with someone's jaw and suddenly whoever it was wasn't behind her anymore.

Lina spun around and looked around the room. There was no one there. Her senses on edge, she crept to her sword lying on the side table next to the bed. A familiar voice interrupted her actions.

"Ow, Lina-san. That hurt." She knew that whiny voice, didn't she? Lina turned slowly to face her old friend and a small smile formed on her face at the sight of the pouting Xelloss.

"You deserved it, scaring me like that." Xelloss chuckled. "As heartless as ever, Lina-san." Lina shrugged and leaned against the wall behind her, crossing her arms against her near flat chest.

For awhile they just stared at each other, Lina with a suspicious frown on her face, Xelloss with that annoying stupid grin on his. This was the reason Lina didn't like reunions. "What do you want Xelloss? I'm not in the mood for this. Make it quick because I shouldn't be giving you even the short 5 seconds that I am."

Xelloss raised an eyebrow at her before speaking, knowing that it would piss her off even more. "I just came to check up on you Lina-san. It's been such a long time since I've seen you." He teleported to her and reached his arms out to hug her, his efforts were only thwarted as usual when Lina's hands were shoved into his chest.

"Don't give me that Xelloss. I want to know and I want to know now. And if you tell me that it's a secret then so help me…" Xelloss stared down into her face before deciding that it was best not to tease her at the moment; not that there ever was a good time for it.

Lina glared up at the damned priest, he hadn't changed in the least. Not that Lina really minded, she was just honestly happy to see someone she knew. That someone she hadn't expected to be Xelloss but what happened, happened, she supposed.

He had expected her to be surprised at his entrance, but he hadn't expected to get a sore lip from the hot little sorceress. His teasing was supposed to have lightened her mood but it seemed to have done the exact opposite.

She watched him think, wanting for him to open his eyes so she might be able to see what he was thinking at that exact moment. It was so frustrating trying to get a _mazoku_ to talk. Lina had never been particularly patient and unconsciously her foot started thumping.

Not that Xelloss cared about Lina's feelings, but he couldn't talk to her if she was reading to bite his head off at any second. He needed to calm her down, or at least try not to tease her as much for the moment. "Alright Lina-san, I'll tell you. It has, indeed, become my direct order to follow you." Her eyes scrutinized him. "For how long?"

Lina dreaded the answer, she knew that it wasn't going to be an answer that she wanted to hear. But when did Xelloss ever not annoy her? "As long as my master wants me to." He answered simply, grinning widely at her. She rolled her eyes. Like she hadn't expected that one.

Xelloss knew that that was the kind of answer that Lina hated the most, but at the moment it was the only answer that he could give her at the moment. He had a strong feeling that she wouldn't like the main reason he was following her, the real reason.

"Where is Gourry-san?" Xelloss asked, attempting to steer her away from the subject.

"He left."

"He...left?"

"Yeah."

"Well, where did he go?"

Lina rolled her eyes and answered with an irritated tone to her voice. "He's in Atlas city, I don't know where exactly."

"Why did he leave?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Biting her lip she decided to lash out at him with her own question. "Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Why won't you answer the question?"

That left her silent again, and she turned her back to him. "It doesn't matter, it was a long time ago." Her voice had softened, and there was a break on the last word.

"Gourry-san isn't coming back, is he?"

Surprisingly Lina didn't react at all, she just simply sighed and walked to her bed while mumbling something about burning priests. "Lina-san are you alright?" Lina turned a curious eye to him. For a moment she felt that Xelloss could actually be caring about her, but she shook that thought off. He was, afterall, just an annoying _mazoku_.

The emotions that she emitted were those of surprise, then sadness, then only to follow was disappointment. "I'm fine, just…tired." Xelloss stared at her for a moment before nodding. Lina was never usually this unresponsive, but since she did look tired Xelloss ignored it.

Lina watched Xelloss sit cross-legged on the wooden floor near the fireplace. It felt like she had missed something, something the mysterious Xelloss had not told her. It was a feeling that bothered her all through the night and even chased her in her dreams.

OoO

Lina awoke to her empty hotel room, and for a moment started to assume that Xelloss's appearance last night had only been a dream. But her hopes were shattered as the sneaky priest teleported into her room. "Good morning, Lina-san." He chirped.

Xelloss smiled at the pale faced Lina, it seemed that he had startled her. "Morning…" She mumbled drearily and swung her feet off the bed. He watched her as she scurried to the wash room to, he assumed, wash and dress for the day.

She slammed the bathroom door closed and leaned up against it, breathing heavily. For some reason she felt shy waking up to find Xelloss in her room. She shrugged off the odd thoughts of the priest and filled the tub with warm water.

After stripping she sank into the deep waters of the bath and moaned with exquisite pleasure. This was heaven.

Closing her eyes in ecstasy she felt a nagging at the back of her head, and sat back up in the tub. Her conversation with Xelloss had not been a relief to how she'd been feeling lately, not that any of her conversations with Xelloss ever ended up good.

OoO

As soon as Lina opened the bathroom door Lina's eyes caught sight of Xelloss's striking violet eyes and her breath caught in her throat. They were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, so majestic and other-worldly. Their deep lavender depths seemed to be pulling her in, and she wandered to Xelloss without even thinking about it.

Xelloss peered curiously into Lina's amber eyes and wondered why she was coming towards him with such a passionate look on her face. She stopped only when they were toe-to-toe and gazed up at him with wonder and stupor.

Lina felt the distant touch of Xelloss's finger under her chin, and her face was lifted upwards. She looked up at him with parted lips and a funny feeling in her stomach. He is going to kiss me…

Her eyes fluttered open as Xelloss only placed a gentle kiss onto her nose, his eyes now firmly shut and his mask back into place. She was ashamed to realize that she had wanted very much for Xelloss to kiss her, it also made her feel a bit scared.

The smile returned to his face and he walked to the otheside of the room. "Lina-san you might want to consider getting dressed before giving me that look, I might become tempted." Lina frowned at him and looked down, blushing bright red.

Xelloss teleported from the room laughing, dodging the table lamp hummed dangerously in his direction.


	2. Delusion

Disclaimer: Blah Blah i dont own blah blah;3

hehe...review!

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After Xelloss and Lina left the hotel, they set out according to Lina's indications. As they walked, Xelloss became utterly curious. "Lina-san, where exactly are we heading?" Lina glanced at him and thought about it for a moment. She supposed it was alright for her to tell him, he'd find out sooner or later.

"Of course you know of the upcoming war between the mozokus and the ryu, ne? Well I have a feeling that I will eventually be involved in that war, and I am preparing myself for it." Xelloss stared at her for a moment, expecting her to explain. When she didn't he prompted, "And what do you intend to do?"

Lina smiled. "I intend to find the _Heilige Lance_, also known as the Holy Lance. It is rumored that it was used to kill the first god turned mortal, Amatsu Mikaboshi, and of course the blood that ran down the blade turned it into a somewhat abnormal relic." Xelloss nodded, and encouraged her to go on. "This blade is said to have even greater powers than the strongest mazoku and ryu's powers clashed together. It was passed from leader to leader through many generations of tyrants who used its powers to corrupt their kingdoms. One leader had eventually been driven insane from the immense power that the _Heilige Lance_ gave to him, that it drove him far enough cast a spell upon the blade. The spell was called, "_Heilige Lance Chikara". _Of course he had no powers of his own as he was just an ordinary ruler, so he made a pact with the legendary Dragon King."

"This spell was meant to give whoever held the spear the illusions of ruling the world and etc. But it also gave whoever held it in their possession immense strength and it also serves well as a talisman. Since Gourry has give me The Sword of Light, I plan to combine my powers along with the sword and the spear. I know that the ryu have already found a strong leader of their forces who's powers could even threaten Garv's. I just know that I will be pulled into this war one way or another I might as well give myself a little leverage." She grinned at him. Xelloss frowned.

"Lina, you do realize that you have just pointed out that this spear can give you the ideas of world domination don't you? Don't you think it's a bit too early in the war to start resorting to those sorts of things? It might turn out worse than with the Giga Slave." Lina pursued her mouth and thought for a moment before waving her hand nonchalantly. "I can handle that Xelloss, and anyways, if I get to crazy you could always kill me." She laughed and walked on ahead of him.

Xelloss did not move nor smile at Lina's attempt at humor, for he had assumed the worst for a moment. She didn't know, good. Before she could question the odd expression on his face Xelloss asserted her with another question. "So, Lina-san, where is the spear now?"

Lina pointed with her index finger towards the northwest. "The _Heilige Lance_ is said to be kept in the mountains of Kumamoto Prefecture, where The Red Priest hid it away in an attempt to bring peace. Not that it helped but he sure did put it in a pretty easily accessible place." She smiled cheerily to herself, immensly proud of her research. "If it is in such an easy to reach place than how do you know someone hasn't yet taken it?" Lina laughed.

"Haven't you heard of the ﻿Abura-sumashi that reside in the mountain pass? No one dares even try to get to the spear, for the ﻿Abura-sumashi's pass is the only way to get to the top. There is a barrier around the rest of the mountain so there is no way to get in even if you fly." Xelloss rubbed his index finger against his cheek.

"And just what do these ﻿Abura-sumashi do?" Lina though for a moment. "Ah, yes! I remember. They come out when a person enters the pass, and start desperately begging for oil. If you don't have any oil to offer the ﻿Abura-sumashi will get angry and attack. The legend goes that you are never seen again if you anger one." Xelloss chuckled. "And you know for sure that you can handle one of them?"

Lina nodded. "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to? I am Lina Inverse, the reknown sorceress of many secrets. I will get that spear, even if it kills me." She turned her head away from him again and started to walk in a sort of march. Xelloss laughed to himself. Lina was definetely never boring to be with.

OoO

After traveling for the entire day Lina and Xelloss finally decided to settle down and make camp near the trail that headed for the trail that lead into the mountains. Lina settled herself down onto her mat near the fire, and watched as Xelloss sat cross-legged opposite her on his mat. She smiled to herself thinking back on their day.

She would have never suspected that Xelloss was such a fun traveling companion. There hadn't ever been a time when she had been traveling with someone who made her feel happy to be traveling farther into her doom. He never talked about the war, or her past, or anything that might dampen her mood.

The one thing that seemed to surprise her the most was that he hadn't even been trying to tease her, in fact it seemed like he had been making a conscious effort not to. And as much as she liked not being teased this bothered her and made her trust of the priest begin to fade. Could there have been other details to his orders? Or did he just decide to be a little nicer to her?

The later seemed to be the less likely.

She glanced at him, seeing that his body had gone completely still. He looked sound asleep, and it was a bit creepy to see him sleeping while sitting down instead of laying on his mat. But what did she know about mazoku sleeping habits?

Why did she feel bad about doubting Xelloss? He had never really been worthy of her trust, but somehow he had gained it and even earned a spot on her conscience. How strange.

Xelloss just being here actually made her feel much better; he seemed to make the gap Gourry left not as important. He didn't take Gourry's place, no one could, but at the same time he dimmed the light that usually brought her attention to it on a constant basis.

She smiled at his sleeping form. "Thank you, Xelloss. For the first time since Gourry left I don't feel so lonely. I feel so happy, arigatou." After whispering these heartfelt words she lay her head down and drifted asleep.

Xelloss peeked one eye open at her and smiled. She was playing right into it without a second thought, and she was even believing that he was here only for the sole purpose of following her. The trust he was building was becoming more and more dependable as the days wore on. As soon as his master gave word to go along with his last order, he would be ready.

OoO

Lina had awoken early the next morning to make their breakfast, and left Xelloss for a short while. When she came back she was happy to find him still sleeping in his strange sitting-up way.

After breakfast was done Lina pondered on how to wake the mazoku up, how would one go by such a thing? Say his name? Slap his face? Pour water on his head? Lina decided on a more calmer approach and cupped his face gently. "Xelloss." She whispered sweetly.

His eyes shot open and Lina felt herself being sucked into their depths once again. To her horror her hand refused to remove itself from his face and all she could do was stare into his violet pools of mystery.

Xelloss blinked into awareness and was indeed surprised to find Lina caressing him into the waking world, and she didn't seem to want to let go of him. He smiled and reached up to take her hand in his. He heard her suck in a deep breath and try to draw her hand away from his, but he didn't let go, he was enjoying this too much to just let her go.

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed each delicate finger tip to them gently, sending a new series of goosebumps up her arms with each hot breath he blew onto her hand. Her breathing was strained and once again she tried to pull herself from his grasp, but her attempts were obviously half-hearted.

He smiled at her and planted an open mouth kiss to her palm. Her lips began to part, just a bit, enough for him to see the wanton desires start to show themselves from within her amber eyes.

With on quick movement she was in his lap, her back pressed against his broad chest. He was both surprised and delighted to find that she did not struggle against him at all, she only melted her body with his. He bent his head down and sucked at her neck gently, and flicked his tongue over her smooth skin. This proved to be a success as Lina shivered slightly from the pleasure.

Xelloss reached out his hand to turn her head to the side, so he could see her face. She licked her lips in anticipation as his face neared hers. The kiss was sweet and warm, it filled her with hotness from her hair down to her toes.

A heat ignited onto her body and she kissed him back, feeling a strange desire curl up inside of her, it seemed to be begging to be released. She reached her hand up to gently traced the sides of his face while his hands wrapped themselves around her waist. His hands were so hot on her body, and she bit his lip in approval to his caressess.

To her extreme dissapointment Xelloss broke away from their kiss and picked her up by the waist to set her down next to him on his mat. He was grinning that stupid grin again, the one that pissed Lina off.

He did that on purpose! He ended the kiss early because he knew I wouldn't like it...wait...since when did I not like the idea of Xelloss not kissing me? Shit.

She glared at his annoyingly smug face, and felt her anger grow to such an extent that her temper flared. After chanting the spell so quietly that even Xelloss hadn't realised it till it was far too late.

"Fireball!"

Xelloss barely managed to dogde the monsterous fireball spell as he teleported in the knick of time. But not fast enough to prevent his cape from getting seared.

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ahh i enjoyed writing this chapter. as you can see this won't be short story as i will come to create my own plot with hours of research and planning, and eventually make a long story with lemon, romance, death, drama, blood, lemon, more blood, lemon, new characters, lemon. did i mention lemon?


	3. Loneliness

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Note: Thank you so much to Purin-chan! You have no idea how much i admire your talented stories and your amazing ability with words. I've been reading your X/L stories for such a long time and in truth you are the reason why this couple is my favorite. I shall now call you Purin-sensei! Hehe, anyways, please keep reviewing my stories. I promise to follow all directions from the master of lemony arts;3

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After their yet another awkward encounter, Lina and Xelloss decided to eat their breakfast in silence. Not that Xelloss had ever been the talkative type, but for now he decided that it was best he not anger the little sorceress further. He glanced down at his charred cape, and inwardly pouted. It was worth it though, for now he knew that Lina had some sort of interest in him. That was yet another advantage in his favor.

Lina tore at her food with canine-like teeth, glaring at Xelloss. Oh how she wished that this fish was his leg, so she could tear it off and watch him scream in pain. Even with all of the menacing looks she gave him Xelloss seemed to just grin at her.

Xelloss simply smiled at Lina while taking tiny, polite bites, of the fish she had cooked so considerately that morning. He knew that Lina wasn't mad at him, she was just embarrassed that he knew what she wanted even when she didn't know herself. For some odd reason, that brought a sense of pride to him over the fumbling idiot Gourry. The swordsman had never kissed her like that, she probably would have sent him to hell for it.

What did he care what Lina felt for him over Gourry? He didn't care. It was his orders to gain Lina's trust, and that's exactly what he was doing.

Lina watched a strange expression cross over Xelloss's face, breaking his mask for a split second. It was one of the few times that Lina could actually say that she knew that mazoku had feelings of somewhat, too. She stared at him, wanting to know exactly what he was thinking about. It was so unfair that he could probably read her like a book.

She didn't want to admit it, but she liked the way Xelloss had kissed her. It was so passionate, and open. Gourry would have never kissed her like that, for he had too much respect for a young maiden. But Xelloss ignited a flame that licked her skin, and burned the very core of her being. Lina swallowed, embarrassed. What was she thinking?

Xelloss caught her stare, and grinned mischievously. He noted the light blush that graced her cheeks and raised his eyebrows at her, as if asking her if something was on her mind. Her lips parted and she stared mutely at him helplessly, he had caught her.

She felt like a trapped animal, this was torture. "Something the matter, Lina-san?" He drawled. Lina shook her head violently. "No, no. Everything is fine."

Smiling smugly, Xelloss resumed nibbling at his food. He looked forward to the day's events.

OoO

"Lina-san, what are you doing?" Xelloss questioned, watching Lina unsheathe her sword. After traveling all morning and through the afternoon they finally reached the infamous mountain pass.

"Isn't it obvious? This is where the Abura-sumashi reside, I am getting ready for them." She answered, rather annoyed. He was supposed to know these things.

Just as she'd finished talking a small Abura-sumashi appeared before them, blocking their path. It was a tiny creature, with squiggly little hands and feet. It held out an oil can and looked up at them with a pleading look. Lina sheathed her sword again and couldn't resist scoffing.

"This is it? This is why people are so afraid to pass through here? I could through this thing off the side of the mountain if I wanted to!" Lina rambled to herself, expressing her superiority.

While she rambled Xelloss watched the little Abura grovel for oil rather pitifully. If mazoku had hearts Xelloss might actually feel bad for the little one. Lina sauntered past the pleading little thing and ignored its final plea. "Oil, please. I need oil.'' He tugged lightly on Lina's cape.

''We don't have any damned oil you brat! Now let go!'' She turned away from the Abura, but Xelloss didn't move. He knew what was coming. Lina turned at the sound of the suddenly booming voice behind her.

''No oil? No oil?! NO OIL?!'' Her eyes widened and a sweat drop appeared on her head. The little brat had grown to the size of a troll! ''No oil, no mountain.'' Before Lina could respond, the now enormous Abura threw her by her cape into the mountain wall.

She moaned as her body crashed down and into the ground. The Abura-sumashi still kept on though, and picked her up again, this time throwing her for the opposite mountain-side.

But Xelloss teleported to her rescue, catching her in his arms before she could slam into the mountain. He set her down gently and tried to comfort her, but she shoved him away and shouted an angry spell. "Wind which blows across eternity, gather in my hands and become my strength!''

''Buramu Gasshu!''

An arrow of wind appeared from her poised her hands and shot out at the Abura, and it exploded on contact, shattering her victim into pieces. She smugly turned back to the mountain trail that led into the first layer of the mountain.

''Humph. 'No oil, no mountain.' my ass.''

After climbing for almost an hour's worth of mountain, Lina and Xelloss reached the archway to the next layer of mountain. But just before they reached it, a fog enveloped the travelers. Nothing could be seen anywhere around them, it was all just smog.

Lina looked behind her. "Xelloss?'' She called, seeing no following priest in sight. Her eyes darted everywhere, feeling a little nervous she started to creep closer to the exit.

"Xelloss, this isn't funny." She tried to keep the shaking out of her voice but failed miserably. A shadow flew through the fog, and an eerie shriek sounded. It rang in Lina's ears and left a terrifying echo.

She decided that if Xelloss really had been hiding, he would have jumped out by now, so she decided to take charge. She mumbled her spell and lifted her arms into the position of an arrow launcher.

"Wind Brid!"

The fog around the arrow of wind disappeared and a figure was materialized. ''Xelloss!'' Lina exclaimed, and ran over to him. ''Jeez Xelloss, you scared me... Disappearing like that...'' Xelloss just simply smiled down at her.

''Xelloss?'' Lina reached up to touch his face. ''Xelloss?'' She tried again, but he still only smiled at her. She jumped when his hands suddenly encircled her waist, drawing her into his embrace. "Hey!"

Lina looked up at him, and his eyes were now open, revealing his beautiful eyes. She knew that something wasn't right, and shoved against his chest, punching him and pushing with all her might. It was no use. ''Xelloss what is wrong with you?!''

Xelloss ignored her question. ''Don't worry Lina-san, I am here now.'' Before Lina could object, Xelloss's lips smashed onto hers, bringing tears to her eyes. This was not the same sort of kiss they had once shared, this one made Lina cringe in pain. She felt Xelloss's hands squeeze her lower back so hard the bruises started to form, and she screamed against his lips.

He still didn't react, only moved his lips above hers, and crushing them harder as he did. Lina's lips hurt so much she felt her teeth being pressed into them. She tried one last time to shove him off, and this time he let himself be pushed away from her.

Lina's hand reached up to touch her swollen lips, and felt blood on her fingers. She gasped and stared at Xelloss in mute anger. ''What's the matter, Lina-san?'' He reached for her again, but she backed away, unknowingly trapping herself with his body looming in front of hers.

"Xelloss what's gotten into you?" Lina shrank back as he reached out his hand again, this time grazing it gently against her neck. She swallowed, and nervoulsy reached out to take his hand away from her. But before she knew it his fingers were clasped tightly around her throat.

She gagged as her fingers tried uselessly to pry his hand loose, and felt her body being brought into the air. Her legs kicked frantically as she felt her lungs constrict painfully. Xelloss smiled at her and brought her body up just a bit higher, just before he crushed her into the stone wall, slamming her small frame into it.

Lina groaned as her body was smashed backwards, and the sound of bones cracking made her wince. She slid down the wall in a useless heap. Whatever breath she had left in her lungs was sucked from her body, and she coughed uncontrollably. The impact had broken her leg and, she found as she tried to support herself with her arm, apparently her shoulder too.

Xelloss simply stared down at her, his smile becoming more and more menacing all the while. His eyes opened to reveal his violet depths to her, seeming to make his face even more terrifying.

But suddenly it wasn't Xelloss who was staring down at her anymore, his form started to change right in front of her. Now what stood in his place was a hideous old woman with long golden white hair, and the red kimono she donned was tattered and torn. Lina's mouth opened in silent horror as her gaze fixed itself on the woman's mouth, it took up the entire width of her wrinkled face, and the sharp fangs that dangled from her gums brought a chill through Lina.

"Baka! Did you really think I was this 'Xelloss' you speak of? Aho!" The old woman cackled down at the crippled Lina.

"Urusai, oban. You ashi de matoi." The old hag glared down at Lina, her eyes spitting fire at her. "You'll regret that, wench." Lina rolled her eyes and tried to stand up again, only to fail as two of her main limbs were useless. She looked up again to glare at the old hag but her eyes widened as she stared at her.

The old woman's hair had turned from long and white to red-eyed snakes, they hissed at her and closed in. Lina screeched in unbearable pain as one of the snakes wrapped itself around her broken leg, and the others wrapped themselves around her neck, wrists, and waist.

Lina was brought into the air yet again, and another scream of agony erupted from her. The snakes were squeezing her so tight...so tight... Her limbs were aching and her weakened bones were failing under the weight of the pressure being applied.

Her body bucked again as one of the snakes bent her leg backwards and then pulled it out straight. Lina made the mistake of looking down and into the old woman's face, for the woman's eyes were now a blood-thirsty red and her mouth was wide open, and her tongue peeked out to lick her fangs in anticipation. The old hag was going to eat her!

Soon Lina couldn't fight anymore as the snakes squeezed all the blood from her body, they were weakening her so there would be less resistance to the feast. SHe was being lowered into the woman's mouth when the snakes bodies were chopped off.

Lina screamed as her death seemed to be closing in as she fell straight into the mouth of her predator. But there was Xelloss again, catching her out of the air and into his arms. Bringing her higher above the woman he surveyed her tattered and bruised body. "Are you alright Lina-san?"

"I'm fine." This was an obvious lie, she knew, but she refused to bring herself low enough to gain a mozoku's pity. Xelloss raised an eyebrow but decided to leave it alone for now.

His gaze turned down to the old woman now spitting fire up at them, and he descended to her slowly. He resumed his mask and put on his best smile. "And what's a beautiful woman like yourself doing in these dirty mountains? Surely you deserve to be somewhere that matches your beauty."

The old hag blushed and raised her hand to her wrinkled face in embarrassment. "Oh, my..." She waved her hand nonchalantly to the exit and smiled at them. "You and your little friend can go now, Bishonen, I have lost my appetite." Then she batted her eyelashes at him before disappearing into thin air.

Xelloss wasted no time bringing Lina through the archway that led to the next layer of the mountain. As soon as he set her down against the mountain wall, she moaned in pain from her broken limbs. A frown of concern creased his brow and he touched her cheek lightly. "Lina-san, where does it hurt?"

Lina ignored his question, and instead asked one of her own. "What is wrong with you, you stupid priest! Why were you flirting with that oban?!" Xelloss chuckled at her obvious jealousy, but he didn't point it out. Even Lina didn't know why she was so mad about it.

"Lina-san that was a Yamanba, she is a yokai that tricks travelers with illusion and then eats their souls. She is very hard to escape unless you are charming enough to avade her clutches." He winked at her.

Lina laughed, but the laugh got caught in her throat and instead she coughed up more blood. As she reached up to wipe her face she caught Xelloss's eyes. his real eyes, scrutinizing her. "I'm fine." She repeated, annoyed that he wouldn't just let it go.

He ignored her and rubbed his hands up her legs, squeezing all the tender places. Lina glared down at him, and prepared to strike. "What are you doing you damned-" She sucked in a breath as his hands squeezed the bone that had been shattered.

"Your leg is broken." Xelloss stated, looking up into her eyes again. "Is there anywhere else?" Lina bit her lip, and winced as her teeth came in contact with her bloody one. "My shoulder too, that oban dislocated it." Xelloss nodded and resumed his body search, investigating anywhere else that might have a major injury. Except for the many yelps of pain from bruises and scrapes there were no more broken bones.

"Why did you let her get so close?" He asked, capturing her with his eyes again. Lina blushed and averted her eyes from his. "She disguised herself as you...so I ran to her." Her cheeks colored and Xelloss raised an eyebrow, but didn't press the issue.

"Well, I can help you with the broken bones but the rest you'll have to rely on your white magic for." Lina didn't have the strength to be annoyed at him for stating the obvious, so instead she just nodded meekly and leaned her head back against the wall. "You're going to push my bones back in to place, ne?"

Xelloss didn't answer for a while before finally nodding; he knew how painful it was for a human to go through that. Lina nodded again, and shivered. She knew of this method, and of course she had broken lots of limbs before, but never had she ever been faced with the solution of forcing them back into place.

She lifted her head up again and stared boldly into the violet murky depths that were Xelloss's guide. "Alright, do it. Just make it quick."

OoO

Two hours later, Lina lay on her mat beside the fire. Xelloss had popped her bones back into place with surprising strength, and speed. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would but it hurt. Her minor wounds had healed already through her magic so she wasn't as sore as she used to be.

Now Lina just sits alone, her amber hair resting on her slim shoulders, her golden jewelry glowing in the dim firelight. She stared at Xelloss sitting very still in his upright sleeping position, and smiled.

Xelloss had brought a new light to her thoughts, and gave her notion that there were mazoku who didn't go around destroying things and killing innocents. In fact Xelloss wasn't that bad at all, he was sort of sweet. Either that or he was sickeningly charming.

Lina was grateful for his cheery company for once, for she didn't need someone like Xelgadiss to bring down her mood. She did that enough already. The thought of liking his company would have never crossed her mind if he hadn't received orders to follow her, so she was grateful, just this once, to beastmaster-sama.

Her eyes drooped and Lina rested her head on the mat. She whispered an inaudible sentence that Xelloss would have never caught if he'd really been sleeping all this time.

"Thank you, Xelloss-san." Were her last mumbled words before falling asleep again.

Xelloss opened one eye at her, grinning slyly. She was falling right into his plans, and everything was going just fine. Lina Inverse trusted him and liked his company, which meant that she'd never expect the other half of his orders.

But one thing bothered the mazoku priest greatly, what she'd said about the Yamanba. Obviously she hadn't know the legend of the mountain yokai or she;d know that in order to leer you in she disguised herself as a loved one to gain trust, and not to mention confuse the hell out of you.

Lina had said that the yokai was him, but that was impossible. The yokai had made a mistake when she'd invaded Lina's mind, and misunderstood Lina's lust for him as love. Xelloss knew that it had to be a mistake.

No one could love a _mazoku_.

--

kya! something happened to my clipboard last night and I only posted half of this chapter. But I just updated it so this is the whole thing, so I got it covered. And once again sorry for the Japanese, its my second language and in truth I use it more than my first! gomen-ne! And I am a fast updater so I post each new chapter daily, if possible. So check back frequently for new ones;3


	4. Comfort

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Note: Hehe, yes MoonPrincess the yokai does only take form of the one you love, but then when you are helpless or whatever she'll get old and ugly and eat you lol, and thanks for your reviews. your stories are the bomb...X/L;3

--

Upon awakening Lina lifted herself onto her shoulder, and was pleased to find that it was no longer pained her to lean onto it. Despite the tremendous pain she went through last night it was all worth it in the end one way or another.

Xelloss had been very gentle with her, treating her like a fragile piece of glass. It had surprised her that he even offered to help at all, he could have just waited it out for the wounds to heal with her magic. If all he was doing was following her then why did he care whether or not their trip was delayed for a while longer? Maybe he didn't like seeing her in pain? Lina shook her head, arguing with herself. That's impossible-mazoku were selfish beings only capable of destruction.

So then, why had he tended to her so carefully?

Lina abandoned her thoughts and instead turned her head to Xelloss, and fully expected him to have been watching her the whole time. Or at least she'd turned her head to where she thought Xelloss would be. The priest was nowhere in sight, only his mat lay where he usually sat behind the fire.

She jumped to her feet in a frenzied panic, the same bitter feeling creeping into her heart as that day one year ago. Xelloss had left her just as Gourry had, leaving her alone to face the emptiness in her heart.

Why didn't she expect this? Xelloss had orders to follow her for as long as his master wanted him to, and apparently it hadn't been a very long run. Lina felt utterly pathetic for expecting anything from him, a monster with no emotions towards humans whatsoever. He had been here on business, nothing more.

Lina knew he had no heart, but couldn't he have at least said goodbye? He didn't even have as much courtesy as Gourry had to at least leave a note or a clue to tell her that he was leaving.

That was all that ever seemed to happen to Lina; people were doing nothing but leaving her alone. They saw Lina as just some crazy sorceress with no goals or point in her life. She wasn't worth their time.

The angry tears sprang to her eyes again, making it harder to fight the wave of emotions surging through her body. Her tears were just making her even more angry at herself more than Xelloss.

Lina slowly sank down to her mat, and cried her heart out. She wasn't going to hold any of it back anymore, she needed this closure and she knew it. She cried for the loneliness, for love, for her friends, but most of all she cried for Gourry. Gourry was like a nightmare everyday, all she did was run to him as fast as her legs would take her, but he just sank deeper into the horizon.

No one had ever double-thought Lina's smile as she waved them on with their own lives, no one ever suspected that all she wanted to do was get on her knees and beg for them to stay with her. But she knew that wasn't her place to make them give up their lives for her own, even she couldn't be so selfish.

"Lina-san?" Her head snapped up, and a new wave of tears rushed from her heart. Was that Xelloss's voice? She stood up on wobbly knees and turned to face the man in question, and another sob tore through her body. Her hand flew to her mouth to soften the sounds of her cries, but it didn't make much of a difference.

All of her barriers were crumbling to pieces and she ran to encircle her arms around his waist, her face buried in his chest. Xelloss awkwardly clasped his hands behind her back. "Lina-san what's wrong?"

Lina answered into his chest in a watery mess of tears. "You were leaving me...I was alone again." She sobbed harder and clutched his shirt in her hands. The thought of him leaving terrified her to an extent greater than she'd ever imagined.

"Lina-san, I didn't leave. I'm right here." He gazed down at the small head melded with his chest, and furrowed his brow. Never had he suspected that she would react like this, even if he had anticipated some sort of disarray at his absence, but he hadn't known she'd cry like this. He had left the camp for awhile only to see what would happen, and in truth expected to come back to find her gone.

Instead she stood here, sobbing uncontrollably in fear of his departure. He didn't know when it happened, but he no longer liked the idea of harming Lina in any way; his master would not be pleased.

Xelloss lifted his hand to the back of her head and held her to him gently. "You idiot, I was so scared." She whispered, finally lifting her head to grace his eyes with the sight of her face. Xelloss smiled down at her. "Lina Inverse isn't supposed to be afraid of anything."

Lina smiled back weakly and lifted herself onto her toes, pressing her lips to his gently. It was only a peck, and yet it was her emotions she had kissed him with. Everything she'd felt that morning, no, everything she'd felt for the past year was poured from her heart to his lips.

He was caught off guard by her sudden show of affection, and felt a small pang of sadness well up inside him. The only thing he'd tasted one her soft pink lips were her tears and sorrow. It felt like she was calling out to him, begging him with her eyes to tell her that her pain would eventually subside, that one day she wouldn't be alone anymore.

Xelloss gazed down into her amber eyes still red from her tears, and kissed her forehead lovingly. "It's ok Lina-san, I'll stay by your side."

If only he'd meant it.

OoO

Lina sighed heavily and sank deeper into the warm water. She had excused herself earlier so she could bathe for awile, she needed to wash her pain away. After finding the perfect spot she'd used her magic to blow a hole in the ground, fill it with water, then set it on fire.

This morning had been confusing for her, but it had also taught her something about herself. Thinking about how close she was to throwing herself off the mountain was a scary thought; never had she imagined reliving old pain would affect her so strongly.

She didn't know whether or not it was Xelloss in particular leaving, or if it was just the fear of being left alone again that scared her so badly. Either way it had surprised her that she'd let Xelloss see her in such a weakened state.

The usual Xelloss would have teased her to no end, but instead he'd held her close, whispered sweet encouragements in her ear, and stroked her hair tenderly. It had made Lina experience a new hope that her pain would blow over, and she could travel alone again.

Lina of the past enjoyed her days as a rouge sorceress and prided her life as a wanderer. Where had that Lina gone to? The old Lina didn't need anyone to tell her that it was going to be ok, that they wouldn't leave her alone again, that her existence meant something to them. The old Lina could have told herself those things and continued on just fine without a second thought.

Something told her that maybe that had just been a mask of her own, that while traveling alone she'd built a wall between herself and the world. That killing off hundreds of bandits was just a way of fooling the world into believing that she was strong.

After 5 years of opening herself again, it hurt to see everyone desert her without even a glance backwards in her direction. And why would they stay? She had nothing to offer any of them, nothing at all.

Her tiny fist sloshed into the water as a result of her frustrations. She hated feeling so confused, it was like being trapped inside of a soundless bubble as she watched in helpless stupor as everyone turned their backs to her, oblivious to the shrieks of protests coming from her seemingly silent cage.

She climbed out and grabbed the towel off of a nearby boulder in an angry charade. These thoughts only angered her and brought new troubles to mind. The poor towel was being rubbed furiously over Lina's skin as Lina took all her anger out on the act of drying herself off.

When she had the last of her apparel in tact she stomped out of the little alcove, a hostile aura forming around her tiny body.

OoO

Xelloss bravely glanced sideways at the fury-filled sorceress traveling beside him. For some reason unknown she had marched into the camp with an animosity that even made him a little worried.

She hadn't spoken to him since returning from her bath and for awhile Xelloss suspected that Lina was disgruntled due to his earlier actions. It wasn't like he could ask her what the problem was, she'd only ignore him or turn a monstrous eye his direction.

So he decided to leave the subject alone for the moment, as he could feel them approaching the _Heiliege Lance_. The mountain seemed to shrink as they traveled higher into the clouds.

A strong aura was beaming down from the very top of the mountain, telling Xelloss that Lina had not exaggerated the power of this mystical lance. The sound of Lina drawing in a small breath confirmed that this feeling was definitely the lance.

"Xelloss, you feel that, don't you?" A hint of fear crept into her voice as she lifted her head to peer up the mountain, wondering what could lie inside its mystifying depths.

"It would seem that we are getting closer." She nodded and swallowed down the thought of turning back. It was too late now to back down, whatever was up there was going to be in her hands no matter what. She felt like she needed this lance, or maybe it needed her.

After climbing for another half hour, a dead end came into sight. That wasn't right, this was supposed to be where the relic had been hidden. It was supposed to lay at the very top of the mountain, awaiting whoever dared climb to the top to grasp its power.

"No..." Lina reached out to lay her tiny palm against the rock blocking them from heading forward. "This isn't right. It _has_ to be here Xelloss, it just has to be." Xelloss watched her silently, and stared up at the huge wall of rock.

This didn't look normal, this rock had been placed here by magic. By no means was this a natural happening, it was far too coincidental. "Lina-san, try breaking the wall. Maybe this isn't a dead end."

She looked back at him with wide eyes, obviously not thinking that there might have been another force keeping them from finding this lance. Taking a step back she took a deep breath and chanted, "Source of all fire, crimson fire burning bright! Gather together in my hand and become an inferno...Burst Flare!"

A ball of light appeared in the targeted area, and in the next instant the ball exploded, raising a tongue of blue white flame. The rock shattered into a thousand pieces, and a slow smile curved the sides of her mouth as a tiny glow signaled success. She let out a low whistle and glanced back at Xelloss.

"We found it." Xelloss smiled, feeling her relief sink into him as well and influence his own feelings. "It would appear that we have, Lina-san." She stepped over the rock remnants and shoved past a few of the bigger pieces. Xelloss followed suit, purposely refraining from mentioning that he could easily teleport them to the center. Instead he curiously followed the sorceress through the rocky trail.

Lina pushed over the last boulder that blocked her entry and they reached a hollow alcove, and another wall stood at the end. The wall bore strange markings, which were obviously talismans to keep trespassers out. That damned priest was smarter than Lina thought.

There were two magically lit lanterns hanging on each side of the cave, and the floor had words engraved as a warning to wanderers.

_Beware, for what lies beyond the sealed door before you can only bring destruction to the world around you. If you dare to break the seal than have these words in mind; you have been warned._

Lina laughed nervously, feigning bravery. "That is so corny, couldn't he have come up with a more original encryption?" She swallowed, feeling a bit edgy as she walked over the inscriptions on the stone floor.

Shaking herself out of her unsettled state, she tried to concentrate and ran her finger along the engravings on the door. They looked like they were from centuries ago, like the red priest had used an ancient language and culture to confuse a sorceress such as herself. Maybe, just maybe, all it took to break this wall was one of her more frequent spells. She doubted it but decided that she had nothing to lose.

"Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson let thy power gather in my hand. Fireball!" The sphere of fire shot out of her poised hands, and crashed into the wall. But it did nothing, the wall still stood firm. There was not a scratch on it.

Lina let out a frustrated sigh and stomped her foot. "Why don't you try a more powerful spell? The red priest was a foe of extremely powerful energy if you recall, and maybe you could use one of your more formidable spells on his talisman?" She rolled her eyes at him, and spat, "If you know so much then why don't you do it?"

She hadn't meant for her voice to sound to so harsh, but she'd accidentally let her anger out on him-again. Why did she always do that? No wonder people didn't like her. But he hadn't seemed to mind.

Xelloss shrugged, keeping his composure. "I might tear down the entire mountain." The smugness in his voice made Lina bristle.

"And you're assuming that I won't?"

"You don't think it's worth the risk?"

She gave him a look before turning back to the wall, taking position again. "Wind, crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand! Digu Volt!" Lightening shot out of Lina's palm from her extended arm. This time a huge crack ran down the wall, making the writings glow an eerie green. A hollow creak sounded as the door slid open, and a thump was heard when it ceased movement.

Lina turned back to the now grinning Xelloss, and rolled her eyes. "Well I could have you know." He opened one eye and she saw a triumphant gleam buried inside its violet abyss. "Yes, Lina-san. Indeed you could have."

She refused to sink down so low as to start another argument with the idiot priest, and instead held her tongue with great effort. "Whatever, just come on." She turned away from him and stepped through the now open doorway.

A stone staircase led down into the pitch black chasm, it looked more to Lina like an ocean of darkness. With a deep, shaky breath, she formed a small ball of light in her hand as a guide and stepped down the first step.

What had she gotten herself into?

--

Phew! I had alot of trouble with this one for some reason. I kept coming to a loss of words and eventually I just got so frustrated that I actually left the computer for an hour or two. But I came to my senses and found an inspiration of sorts, and vwalah! hehe, i hope you like it. And as I type my mind is reeling for idea on the next chapter! and btw i made a strong effort not to use as much Japanese this time so i hope you like!;3


	5. Spirit

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Note: Thanks for the grammar tips Purin-sensei, I do have a hard time keeping up with those little things since I have so many things I am trying to do all at once! Gomen-ne "bows deeply" I promise to try harder;3 Oh and beta reader? What is that...?

--

Lina descended down deeper into the darkness. The stairs didn't seem to ever end, they had been walking for what seemed to be forever. "Lina-san, is there anymore to this legend that you know of?" He had felt there to be another strong aura lurking somewhere in the darkness, one that wasn't the lance.

"No...why?" She glanced back at Xelloss with a curious eye. "I feel there to be another presence merged with the lance; possibly guarding it?" Lina shook her head. "No, the legend ends with the priest hiding it away in these mountains. There isn't anymore. It's probably just the lance's power." She shrugged.

Xelloss wasn't convinced, but didn't press it. If there was anything else down here Lina could handle it. She always did face things with a head-on approach that he admired greatly. Even if her opponent was he himself, Lina would still take him on as if she was the Lord of Nightmares, but with more attitude.

Lina jumped when her feet hit solid ground and looked back at Xelloss, relief was written all over her face. "We're almost there." She lifted her hand up, so that her tiny ball of light could brighten the dark walkway.

The hall was covered with dust and cobwebs, and the smell of mustiness made Lina wrinkle her nose. This place held an untouched air to it that mystified Lina and disgusted her at the same time.

A faint colorless light shone towards the end of the hall, and Lina squinted into the darkness. Xelloss beat her to asking, "What is that light?" Lina shrugged. "I don't know, but it has to be the _Heiliege Lance_, what else could it be?"

Xelloss nodded and continued on beside her. The power of this spear was very dangerous for the things it did to humans' bodies could be lethal. Of course since he was a _mazoku_ it had no affect over him whatsoever. It worried him how he could feel Lina being pulled closer to it, like she was losing herself to the thought of having it in her hands.

They walked for a bit longer and when they reached the glow Lina was proven to be right. There on a pedestal stood the spear known as the _Heiliege Lance in all its glory, _it glowed brightly with a powerful essence that made Lina want to reach out and touch it.

She stepped forward and reached her hand out, her fingers aching in anticipation, but Xelloss placed his hand wisely over hers, knowing of the consequence. "Lina-san, remember what kind of influence the spear has on humans. You shouldn't touch it now, I'll do it."

Lina hesitated, not knowing why she was reluctant to let anyone but herself touch the spear, but dropped her arm back down anyway and nodded. Xelloss stepped forward and lifted a gloved hand out to grasp the glowing spear.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Both Xelloss and Lina looked up, surprised, to find a hovering translucent being above them. Seemingly oblivious to their lack of words, the being continued, "I'm not sure if you are aware, but this spear holds a power far beyond anything you could ever imagine."

Xelloss took his hand back, and grinned slyly up at the ghost. "And I assume you are the god from legends, the one whose blood has run down this object?"

"You assume correctly, _mazoku_. I guard this relic from power-hungry beings such as you and your little friend, you have no idea what this spear will do once it is in the hands of that one." He pointed an accusing finger down at Lina.

"Yeah, we know what kind of power it possesses. What's it to you whether or not we snatch right from under your old wrinkly ass?" Lina had been slightly annoyed at the old man's tone, she felt obliged to feel insulted by his manner.

"It matters to me not, little sorceress. I am only here to do everything within my reach to stop you from taking it; this is my punishment from the gods above as a result for being so careless in my earlier life."

"I doubt you could stop us."

"Believe what you want, but be warned that even if you do manage to defeat me the results of harnessing the power within this spear will only cause unbelievable destruction and-"

"Yeah, yeah we read the floor. Now if you'll excuse me..." She stepped around Xelloss to reach for the spear again, this time more to annoy the ghost then anything else. A small spark of light struck her hand and she yelped more in surprise than in pain, and turned a livid glare up at the spirit. He simply smiled down at her with his index finger poised downwards, and she realized that the lightening had come from it.

"Damned old man!" She spat, cradling her hand in the opposite one. Xelloss bit back a chuckle and crossed his arms, his staff lay pressed against his shoulder. "Why were you sentenced down here to guard the spear?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation to a safer, more mature level. Lina could get them both killed if she tried hard enough.

"I used my powers to turn myself into a human so that I could live and die in peace with my wife, but the humans of my village found out of my powers and saw my presence as an omen upon their land. They turned on my wife and children, slaughtering them mercilessly right in front of me. My wife was the last to die, and the monsters beheaded her while tying me to a stake. The spear they used to kill me was of course the _Heiliege Lance,_ and my blood ran cold down its tip."

"If you were a human at the time, then how did your blood have any affect upon the spear?" Lina decided to speak since she had calmed down a little listening to the ghost's sad story. She couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

He offered her a grim smile and spoke with a bitterness that shook Lina to the core. "It is the curse of the Gods my dear, we can try all we want to become fully human but it is futile. Our holy blood will always run thick through our veins with a vengeance, no matter what form we take."

Xelloss spoke again, his voice turning cold and emotionless. "On another note, I am sorry to inform you that we are here to take the spear from you. It is your choice whether or not let us have it, either way it will be ours." He had never particularly liked gods, and this one was no exception. The patience he once had was wearing thin and he was growing annoyed at the god's babbling.

"Have it your way then, _mazoku_. I regret having to kill off such intelligent foes such as yourselves, my sincerest apologies." The spirit replied calmly. His cold manner made it obvious that he was unaffected by the thought of killing humans-or mazoku.

He raised his hand to unclench his fist, leaving his palm uplifted and bare. Another shot of lightening, this time bigger and much more powerful, flew out of his hand and threatened to strike them.

Xelloss grabbed Lina by the waist and swiftly teleported a few feet away, saving them from being fried to a crisp.

The spirit turned and rounded in on them again, firing off a series of lightening bolts to which Xelloss easily dodged with teleportation.

Lina could only be dragged along with Xelloss, helpless to the chaos surfacing around her. It annoyed the hell out of her to not be able to do a thing to stop any of it, so finally she shoved herself out of Xelloss's arms.

As another bolt headed straight for her she cast a swift barrier spell, deflecting the shot. But just as her barrier went down another lightening bolt was fired towards her and she was forced to jump out of the line of fire.

"Xelloss, I need you to hold him off! I can defeat him but I just need a second to recite the spell!" Xelloss nodded, and teleported just in front of Lina, holding up his staff to form a barrier of his own around them.

Lina stood her ground and raised her hands. "Xelloss when I give the signal, move." He didn't look back but simply nodded at her again.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the words flow from her mouth. "You pitiful twisted creatures, not of this world…by the Light of Purity I possess, I bid thee, begone to the nexus of our two worlds!"

Xelloss took this as his cue to leave, and teleported behind Lina.

"Megido Flare!" She screamed, her eyes opening as a burst of blue flame escaped her outstretched hands. The flames engulfed the spirit and his monstrous scream echoed through the entire cave.

Lina watched in horror as the spirit's face twisted in agony and his hands reached to her, his eyes wild and livid with anger. His mouth opened in a silent scream of pain, and his figure disappeared into nothingness, leaving Lina shaking. But his raspy voice came out of nowhere, as if to haunt her purposely.

"Be warned, Lina Inverse. You will bring death and cruelty to this impure world of the human, and you alone will be the cause of the extinction of all humanity."


	6. Surprise

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Wowzers, I've really been updating this one...;O

--

Lina stared down at where the spirit had incinerated in open-mouthed horror. His words had rang through her ears and chilled her bones. Her? The cause of humanity's extinction?

She shivered and glanced at Xelloss, who was no longer smiling. So it had effected him to an extent. He turned his head to Lina and glanced between her and the spear. "We can leave if that's what you'd prefer. You don't have to do this."

Lina bit her lip and considered this for a moment. If they left now and sought out a better way for Lina to defend herself then she wouldn't have to risk ever touching the spear, and if she let Xelloss take it with them she'd be risking the death of everyone around her. In a split second decision, she replied, "Thanks for the offer, but I have to go through with this. I don't know why but I need it."

Xelloss nodded, and stepped forward to take the spear off of the pedestal. He knew that if it was Lina holding it, then the effect would be completely different. But Xelloss was immune to whatever spells the _Heiliege Lance_ held, no matter how powerful its influence was it could never effect a _mazoku_.

She had faith in herself and her ability to overcome whatever the spear held in store for her. She knew that she could do it, or at least she hoped she could.

--

After taking the lance from its perch, the mountain's barrier had been reversed and Xelloss could easily teleport them to the bottom of the mountain. They walked from there to the nearest village for a late lunch.

Lina didn't have much of an appetite as the old man's words had left a bitter taste in her mouth. It appalled her that there was any possibility that she could ever have any thoughts of destroying the world. She was supposed to be one of the few sorceresses left that actually wanted to protect the world, she wasn't supposed to bring harm to it.

Xelloss watched Lina absently chew on her biscuit, a faraway look in her amber eyes. She was sitting right in front of him and yet she was a million miles away, lost in her own world of thoughts.

He didn't even bother to attempt to wake her mind, she deserved the right to sit and think for awhile. Today had probably unsettled her a great deal, and it had even made Xelloss worry just a little as well.

His gaze was drawn to spear leaning onto his chair, sitting like it was only a useless ordinary object. But Xelloss knew of the agony it could bring to this world, to Lina herself. The over-whelming urge to set the spear on fire suddenly came to mind as he thought about the sorrow it was causing Lina, but the thought subsided as he dampened his temper with questions to himself. When had he felt a need this strong to protect Lina?

He sipped at his tea while watching Lina again, a load of questions came to mind, but he refrained from verbalizing them. He didn't need to upset her anymore that she already was.

"Ano...excuse me?" A small voice sounded from beside the table, and both Lina and Xelloss looked up. A girl stood shyly next to their table, and even to Xelloss she was surprisingly beautiful. She looked to be about 16 or 17, still only a maiden really, with her big blue eyes, and her long golden hair wrapped tightly into a braid that fell onto her shoulder. Her apparel's similarity to Lina's caught Xelloss's eye.

"Are you by any chance," She swallowed nervously and shifted her feet, "Lina Inverse?" Lina set down her glass and laid her elbow on the table, turning her body at an angle to face the girl in a dominating manner.

"Yeah, I'm Lina Inverse." The young girl sighed in obvious relief, and raised her hand to her chest. "My name is Hiyo Takahashi, and I am a sorceress just like you, Ms. Lina." Lina inwardly groaned, this was like another Amelia.

"I live here in this village, and there have been rumors of your appearance. Some say that you were seen heading for the mountains up north; where the old legend of The Spear of Destiny lies. Is it true? Did you really dare to go that far into the mountains and face the journey all by yourself?" The girl named Hiyo's eyes were dancing now, the childish excitement shone brightly in her pretty face.

"Actually, I had a little help." Lina smiled and jerked her finger in Xelloss's direction, who smiled politely at Hiyo. "Pleased to meet you, I am the humble priest Xelloss." He flashed her a smile and she blushed while bowing simultaneously. "Yes, pleased to meet you too...I apologize for not seeing you before, Mr. Xelloss."

Xelloss waved away her apology with a grin and extended out an arm, offering her the chair in front of her. Hiyo sat herself down into the chair and politely nodded at him. "Anyway, Ms. Lina, I am actually here for a more serious reason. It would seem that the barrier around the mountain has faltered, and if you could imagine what could happen if..." She trailed off, her eyes widening as her gaze slid down to the spear lying against Xelloss's chair legs.

"Oh dear kami...Ms. Lina you didn't." Lina smiled arrogantly and once again pointed at Xelloss. "_I_ didn't, _we _did." Hiyo sighed and leaned back against her chair. "Ms. Lina you must know the consequences of using that spear, you could end up killing yourself as well as other people around you."

Lina rolled her eyes, growing tired of this argument coming up in her latest conversations. "Yes Hiyo, I am very aware of what could happen, but I have it under control."

"Oh Ms. Lina how could you have it under control? This spear will use your mind, it will affect your entire body with the influence of pure evil! How could you possibly keep something like that under control?"

"Let's just say that it is worth the risk."

"Oh kami no..."

Xelloss looked back and forth between the two sorceresses as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he raised his tea cup to his lips before breaking in, "Ms. Hiyo, don't worry about us. We'll find some way to keep the spear from causing anymore death." Hiyo looked up at him with tears now welling up in her blue eyes, and he noted the spark of anger that flashed inside them.

"No! I can't let you leave here with that spear!" She pointed down at the object in question. "Now Ms. Hiyo-" He tried again, thinking that he could charm her into dropping the subject, but he was interrupted when she suddenly stood up with a defiant tone to her voice.

"I've decided," She started, slamming her tiny hands onto the table, "I will follow you and your priest Ms. Lina so that I can do everything in my power to stop you from using the lance! I feel it is my duty as this town's protector to stay with you and prevent you from causing chaos in this world."

Lina rubbed her forehead between her thumb and index finger, sighing heavily. Did Amelia and Gourry have a child she didn't know about? "Listen you annoying little-"

"Why of course we'll allow you to follow us Ms. Hiyo, we'd be happy to have the pleasure of your company." Lina's head snapped to Xelloss, who ignored her and instead graced Hiyo with his best smile.

The whole rest of the lunch Lina hadn't said anything else, only glared at Xelloss who continued to feign obliviousness and engage in polite conversation with the newly recruited little sorceress.

OoO

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lina hissed at the priest who was now floating in the air cross-legged, sipping his tea calmly. "I was only trying to calm her down, Lina-san. She could have started screaming at the top of her lungs what we now carry in our possession." He replied, not bothering to look down at her.

Lina ran a frustrated hand through her red locks and started pacing the room again. "But we can't just drag around a kid everywhere with us Xelloss, it could get dangerous. I don't want to have another innocent death over my head."

Xelloss raised an eyebrow at the pacing Lina. "You were younger then Ms. Hiyo when you defeated The Dark Lord Shabranigdo, and you embarked on many more dangerous quests after that too. Why, you were only 16 when you met me." The suggestiveness in his voice embarrassed her and a light blush rose on her cheeks.

"T-That's not the point."

"Then what is the point, Lina-san?"

"The point is that I was alot stronger then her, I could handle more then she can. She looks like she'd start crying if she broke a nail." Lina crossed her arms and turned her back to Xelloss, attempting to regain her composure.

Xelloss smirked and opened one eye at her. "I don't know Lina-san, she could prove to be stronger then she looks." She turned back to him, and her temper rose another notch at the teasing manner in his voice. "Keh, as if."

He descended down from his perch and strode to her, ignoring that she was seething with anger. With both eyes opened now, he cupped her cheek in his hand. "I'm sorry Lina-san, but it had to be done."

Her anger melted away as her eyes peered up into his, and she felt all her resentment leave her mind. Why had she been mad again? Xelloss smiled down at her, and pressed his lips to hers gently letting her sink into his embrace.

She unfolded her arms and reached her hands up to brace her palms onto his chest, leaning deeper into the kiss. It had felt like forever since they had shared a kiss, and she realized that she'd missed it. The feel of his lips over hers made her feel safe, and like nothing around them mattered anymore.

Her eyes fluttered open as Xelloss slipped his tongue between her parted lips. The feel of his tongue caressing the inside of her mouth was an oddly pleasant sensation, and she felt herself actually start to like it as her eyes closed again. She would have never imagined that a man's tongue in her mouth would please her this much.

It pleased her so much, in fact, that she moaned delicately into his mouth. Embarrassed, she pulled away and lowered her head, purposely avoiding his gaze. Xelloss chuckled and lifted her head up by her chin. "It's normal Lina-san, this is pleasure you're feeling."

Lina blushed shyly and bit her lip. "So that noise wasn't a bad thing?" Xelloss chuckled again at her naive question, and instead of answering slid his lips over hers again. This time she didn't hesitate to hold back the moans of pleasure as he deepened their kiss, melding their tongues together.

His hands roamed her tiny body, claiming every untouched piece of creamy skin as his fingers glided up and down. In an instant her cape had been untied and feel to the ground behind her, along with all of the rest of her protective gear. All that was left were her slacks and flimsy shirt.

She groaned again into his mouth as he backed her into the wall, letting his body pin her backwards. Her tongue flicked over his teeth in a sign of approval and his hands climbed under her shirt to reach upwards for her perky breasts.

He palmed them through the annoying fabric of her bra and massaged them gently, waiting for the sighs of pleasure that erupted from her mouth. He tore his lips from hers and kissed his way down her jaw to the sensitive skin on her neck, sucking at it tenderly. Lina moaned and clutched at his shirt, raising her leg to rest it against the wall.

Xelloss was the only person who had ever made her feel this way, the only person who had ever brought out the side to herself that she'd never imagined existed. But she still didn't know if she liked this passion-crazed Lina that he always seemed to evoke with his magical hands.

"Ms. Lina! Ms. Lina I have to-Oh dear kami..." The door to Lina's hotel room opened, and both heads turned to the intruder. Hiyo turned away from them, facing the open door. Xelloss could practically feel her blushing all the way across the room. "I-I'm sorry Ms. Lina, I just needed to ask you a question. I'm so stupid...I should have knocked first. But I just wasn't thinking and I didn't know that I'd be interrupting anything. I knew that this was a bad time but I just had to see you..."

By the time she had stopped her nervous babbling Xelloss had released Lina, and she had pulled down her shirt attempting to try and look decent. Hiyo turned back to them hesitantly, and Lina could just imagine that she was blushing just as strongly as the innocent maiden.

"It's ok, Hiyo. Just tell me what is so important." She was pleased to find that her voice wasn't shaking as much as she thought it'd be, and she'd managed to keep her voice as firm as she cold manage.

Hiyo dwindled her fingers and responded, "There is a man in a white hooded cloak downstairs in the waiting room; he asked for you in particular. And he specifically requested that you not bring down the," She swallowed and glanced nervously at Xelloss, "Idiot priest."

--

I don't know why but I've suddenly gotten the nerve to start writing...alot. This is three chapters within 12 hours, without coffee either. lol. I guess I can't hold back my fingers when my mind needs to let it out;3 review please!


	7. Visitor

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

--

Xelloss rubbed his cheek with his index finger. "Idiot priest?" He cocked his head to Lina. "I wonder who that could be?" Lina rolled her eyes and bent down to pick up her discarded cape. While she tied it securely Hiyo spoke again, "I-I really am very sorry that I interrupted your...um...conversation. Please don't think of me as a rude person because I'm really not Ms. Lina it's just you had a visitor and it sounded urgent and-"

Lina held up a hand to silence her. "It's fine Hiyo, really. We were just in the middle of," She glanced irritated at the smirking Xelloss, "A business conversation." Xelloss chuckled. "Mmm, yes. Business."

"Shut up."

Hiyo held up a polite finger. "I'm sorry to interrupt again Ms. Lina, but your visitor?" Lina nodded absently and hitched her sword to her side. "Yeah, thank you Hiyo. I'm right behind you."

She gave Xelloss one last glare before leaving, but only gained herself another chuckle as she strode past Hiyo and into the hallway. "I suppose the idiot priest will stay here then?" Lina rolled her eyes again, and took the steps to the downstairs lobby two at a time, a frantic Hiyo just behind her.

"Ne, Hiyo?" Hiyo scurried down the stairs behind Lina and followed her down the hall. "Yes Ms. Lina?"

"What did this guy look like? The one that asked for me?"

"Why Ms. Lina I don't know...his face was covered by the hood he wore." Hiyo cupped her left elbow into her opposite one while resting her fist on her cheek. "But his hair was indeed a very strange color Ms. Lina; it was a grayish blue, very abnormal."

Lina smiled to herself. If her memory served her well she knew exactly who'd be just around the corner waiting for her. But what was he doing near these prefectures? A sinking suspicion crept into Lina's mind as she rounded the banister that led to the waiting room.

He must be after the lance.

Hiyo bowed before excusing herself to her own hotel room upstairs, and Lina ventured alone into the sitting room. She approached the sitting hooded man with a wary eye, doubting her earlier accusations as she closed in.

If he was who she thought he was, then really she nothing to worry about, but if he was just another 'old friend' after her for something she did ages ago...her hand hovered over her sword, preparing for what might be the worst from the man.

"Long time no see, Lina." The cloaked man stood, and pulled back his hood to reveal his face. Relief flooded through Lina as she stepped forward to embrace him in a warm hug. "I see you didn't bring that idiot Xelloss, it's a good thing too." Lina laughed and stepped away from her old friend, feeling a rekindled happiness light inside of her as seeing someone she once held so close made her feel a bit giddy.

"Zel! Jeez it's been forever! Where have you been all this time?" Zelgadiss shrugged and sat back down on the couch, and Lina followed suit down into the fluffy chair opposite to him. "The same as usual; hunting down powerful artifacts and finding out how useless they really are." He answered gloomily, his head lowering.

Lina nodded sympathetically, and clasped her hands in her lap. "So what brings you here, Zel? It isn't like you to stop by just for a hello to your old friends." She chirped, trying to lighten his mood a bit.

"I could ask you the same thing, Lina." His eyes lifted to stare accusingly at Lina.

She squirmed nervously in her chair and feigned ignorance in a desperate attempt to clear the sudden heaviness in the air. "I do try to keep up with you and the others Zel, but I travel a lot."

"You know what I mean."

"What?"

"Don't play stupid Lina. I know you have the spear." Damn. How could he guess? If Lina denied it he would probably barge upstairs into her hotel room and tear the place up looking for it, and not to mention he'd try to beat Xelloss bloody in the process.

"So what? I need it." She answered, trying not to back down under his gaze. Zelgadiss picked up the sake glass on the table next to his couch and drained it before answering, "So do I."

"I got it first."

"I can take it away from you."

"Not while Xelloss is with me."

"What is he? Your pocket priest?"

"Ha Ha."

"Lina this is serious, you can't just carry around a world domination handy helper everywhere you go." Zelgadiss tried to stare Lina down, but she wasn't giving up. She crossed her arms over her chest and just stared right back at him. "Lina…"

"Zel, listen. I know you need the spear to turn yourself back into a human or whatever, but I need it to partake in a legendary war between the ryu and the mazoku. Which do you think is more serious?" Zelgadiss rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as well.

"You are aware of what you could do with the spear aren't you? The whole take-over-the-world-thing doesn't bother you in the least?" Lina snorted and turned her head away from him.

"I can handle it." Was her terse reply to his smart-ass question. He laughed mockingly and gave her a snort of his own. "Yeah right…" Lina's head reared back so that she could bore her eyes into his, earning her a widening of his eyes. She was so tired of everyone telling her that she couldn't handle this damned spear, it wasn't like she was helpless or anything.

"Just shut up Zel! Seriously you don't anything. I can take the Heiliege Lance any day! So stop acting like I can't do anything on my own, and if you want the spear then just try and take it from me!" Lina gave him a livid glare before turning and stomping up the stairs to her hotel room, leaving a speechless Zelgadiss behind.

Lina knew she might of over-reacted just a teensy bit, but she couldn't help it. The arguments against her use of the spear were irritating her to no end as between the old man on the mountain, the innocent sorceress maiden, and now even one of her oldest friends?

Maybe she should just send the damned thing to Gourry and Sylphiel as a late wedding present, not like Gourry would ever notice anything out-of-the-ordinary.


	8. Master

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

--

Xelloss watched, half amused and half concerned, as Lina rampaged about her room spouting some nonsense about her long time chimera friend he assumed to be her mystery visitor. Xelloss knew of the rock man's terrible temper and that he tended to let his mouth slip when angry, and he did get angry alot. It was unusual though that Lina would be so upset by the chimera's insults. Normally she would be the only one able to soothe his angry wrath.

It appeared that this time he had gone too far, whether he had realized it in doing so or not. Whatever he had said probably had only started out as an innocent slur of stinging derogatory comments, but instead turned out to be very hurtful insults. Xelloss felt a little sorry for the chimera who'd had idea that Lina had been very on-edge as of late, the reason of course had been the spear she now possessed.

"-and that damned chimera! He can go to hell for all I care, him and his stupid cure. Why doesn't he just shut up and accept what he is? I will not let him insult me like that! Me! The infamous Lina In-" Xelloss drowned out Lina's rambling and teleported soundlessly from the room, not wanting to disturb her.

He materialized in the sitting room below where Zelgadiss sat on the couch, his face placed in his cold stone hands. "Hello there, Zelgadiss-san!" Xelloss sang, purposely startling the chimera into jumping up with his sword drawn dangerously close to Xelloss's neck.

"Now, now, Zelgadiss! It's me; Xelloss. You can put the sword down now." An evil grin spread over Zelgadiss's face and he pushed the sword's tip ever so close to Xelloss's Adams apple. "Why would I want to do that?"

Xelloss merely chuckled and, with his finger tip, gently pushed the sword away. "Always the sweet talker, aren't we Zelly-chan?" Zelgadiss growled darkly, but seemed to decide on his own that the mazoku wasn't worth it.

He collapsed back down onto the couch miserably, and leaned his head back. Xelloss studied him silently before sitting down himself onto the same perch Lina had settled in. "What the hell do you want with Lina, Xelloss? You don't usually stick around this long just for the fun of it."

Xelloss laughed knowingly, and held his index finger into the air. "That is a secret, dear Zelgadiss-san. You needn't worry yourself with me though, for it is Lina-san you are troubling yourself over."

Zelgadiss honestly looked far too exhausted to argue with the annoying mazoku, and for once simply nodded and held his tongue. "Whatever did you do to upset her?" Xelloss ventured, his voice soft and soothing

"None of your damned business." He couldn't help but smile at that, it was just too typical of an answer from his old traveling companion. "Mm I suppose it isn't, but wouldn't you like to know why Lina is so upset?"

This brought a spark of interest to Zelgadiss's eye, and he sat up straight, resting his elbows on his knees. "If you really think you know, and then tell me, why is Lina so upset?"

The mazoku raised his finger again, thoroughly enjoying this, but his index finger was suddenly being crushed in Zelgadiss's clenched fist. "Why. Is. Lina. Upset?" He repeated, stressing each syllable, his face growing darker with each word that passed his lips.

Xelloss pulled his finger from Zel's hand and pouted. "Ow, that hurt Zelly-san." Zelgadiss hardly blinked, only stared at Xelloss expectantly.

Xelloss sighed and clasped his hands together in his lap; he was very disappointed that Zelgadiss had spoiled all his fun. "Lina-san, as you already know, now has the spear with her thanks to my aid in her journey up the mountains. On those mountains we encountered the guardian spirit whom we easily defeated, but this spirit upon his last breath told Lina she was to be the sole cause of the extinction of humanity. As you can probably guess the spear will be her guide on this path of destruction."

Zelgadiss cursed and leaned back again into the couch cushions. "Why doesn't she just leave it here?"

"I don't quite think she can, Zelgadiss-san."

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course she can."

Xelloss shook his head solemnly. "The spear has already chosen her. It is now her fate to wield the spear, but it will be her choice also whether or not to fight against its evil influence. I didn't realize it before but now it is very clear; the lance has decided its new master."

--

Really short chapter! Gomen-ne! But I won't have any time to work on the next chapter till about an hour from now. Expect it;3


	9. Future

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

--

"Does she even know about it?"

"No, not quite."

Zelgadiss slammed his hand onto the little glass table, forgetting his inhuman strength, and it shattered into pieces. He stared down sheepishly at the table for a moment before regaining his composure and looking back up at the mazoku. "Damn it Xelloss why did you help her take it?"

Xelloss shrugged and answered simply, "It isn't my place to tell Lina-san what to and what not to do."

"Don't give me that, Xelloss, you could have stopped her. Something had to of occurred to you that it wasn't right." Zelgadiss was obviously growing frustrated, and as usual he had chosen Xelloss as his venting target.

"Why, of course I knew something was wrong, but I hadn't the faintest idea of what it was. Even if I had it has come to my attention that the spear was drawing her in far before we had ever reached the mountain." Xelloss had gotten the feeling that Lina had gotten desperate to find the relic, especially when she had become so devastated when there had been a block in the way of retrieving it. She had been so upset that something was between her and the spear that she hadn't even been thinking right, that much was obvious when she failed to come up with the simple solution of just blowing the boulder up.

That had only been the beginning of his suspicions after finding the lance, but this was no time to reflect. There had to be some way for Lina not to use the spear. But how? Eventually the war would break out and Lina would be forced to join with either sides of the armies-the ryu or the mazoku-and fight off the main lords of each opposing side. The spear, supposedly, would be her aid in defeating either all-powerful lords.

If she even so much as touched the spear, ideas of killing off every living being all over world would cross her tiny human mind, and she would act on its influence. Of course he himself could attempt to help her while the spear was not in her grasp. Xelloss was powerful, yes, but not powerful enough to defeat Gav's inheritance.

Lina could fend for herself with just her magic, and do quite a good deal of damage, but the problem was that she had a limit to how much power she could use. It had been a fairly smart decision for Lina to seek out a higher power to help her in the upcoming war, but she was poorly misled into believing her best chance was this spear.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Zelgadiss broke into his thoughts, snapping him back to their conversation.

"Nothing, nothing. It doesn't matter anymore. How long will you be with Lina-san?" Zelgadiss thought for a moment before grudgingly responding.

"From the looks of it I'll be with her for as long as she has that spear with her, which means I'll be fighting in your little war. But that does not mean that I'll be fighting for you, in fact I hope the ryu burn you to a crisp."

Xelloss chuckled but agreed all the same, feeling oddly relieved that Zelgadiss would be there to help Lina control her urges. The question still remained though if it was at all possible for anyone to stop her once she'd gotten her hands onto the spear?

OoO

It had been over an hour that Lina had gone on about her annihilation of the chimera downstairs, and by the time she had realized that Xelloss was gone it was nighttime already. Wondering where he'd gone, she went into the washroom to draw a nice warm bath for herself.

It had been an unnaturally unpleasant day for the young sorceress, but also a very intriguing one of sorts. The uneasy feeling the spear had given her all morning had distressed her greatly so she had decided to let Xelloss keep it hidden somewhere in his cape of mysteries.

She stripped herself of her clothes and accessories swiftly before slipping into the enticingly warm water. After a long day of climbing mountains and ass-kicking it did a girl well to relax for awhile-even a renown sorceress such as herself deserved a break every once in awhile.

"Ah…" She sighed contentedly sinking lower into the warm abyss. In truth she felt a little guilty for snapping at Zelgadiss earlier, he didn't know anything of her troubles from earlier in the day, how could he of? And he did make a valid point, just like everyone else had all day.

For some reason though she wasn't sure she wanted to let go of the spear, she felt like she couldn't do it. Something about the relic had mesmerized her, and she wasn't sure it was in a very good way.

What if the old man on the mountain was right? What if while wielding the spear she became power-crazed and wiped everything with life off the face of the earth?

Her mood now dampened by her disheveling thoughts, she exited the tub and washed her face before dressing for bed. Settling herself between the sheets she yawned and let her eyes drift closed, momentarily forgetting the day's troubles.

--

Fwahaha, yet another chapter accomplished!;D


	10. Past

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Ok I am right smack in the middle of my social life but at the same time I keep running back to my laptop to write about all of these spouting ideas that keep flowing out of my mind. lol so be prepared for the attack of monstrously fast updates! ah and btw thanks so much to moon-chan for filling me in about the whole 'beta reader' thing, hehe;3

--

Lina groggily climbed out of bed, and wandered over to the washstand. She was a bit out-of-it as she absently splashed the cold water onto her face and stared into her reflection.

After putting on her clothes, she left her hotel room, still tying her cape when she walked into the dining room below. She spotted the odd trio of Xelloss, Zelgadiss, and even little Hiyo seated in a corner table.

They all greeted her with warm smiles except for Zel, who stood up to speak, "Lina, listen, I'm sorry about last night I-" Lina waved her hand nonchalantly, cutting off his apology with a cheery grin. "It's fine Zel, I'm sorry too."

A look of relief passed over Zelgadiss's stony features as they both sat down with bright smiles. "And isn't that just sweet?" Xelloss commented dryly, a cruel grin plastered onto his face. He couldn't help spoiling such a sickeningly cheerful moment.

Lina's small, but quick fist came swiftly in contact with his face. She gave him an angry growl before turning away to give her order to the waitress standing patiently next to their table. He had made her mad again, not that it wasn't something that happened frequently upon many of their encounters, but for some reason an odd knot twisted his stomach uncomfortably and he saw no reason to smile about this particular occasion.

As soon as the waitress had scurried off to fill Lina's unnaturally large order, the perky Hiyo spoke. "Ms. Lina, where do you plan to go now that you have the lance?"

Lina blinked. That was good question. Where did she plan to go? She didn't plan at all, actually. She really had no idea where to go from here. Now that she had the spear there wasn't anything else to do. If she were still traveling alone then she'd simply go around blowing up bandits till someone, like Xelloss, came to inform her that the war had begun.

Now that she had traveling companions again, she had to 'plan' everything out. Keh.

"Well…err…that is…" She stuttered, trying to rack her brain for idea on where to venture from this point. Unfortunately she had nothing.

A crash sounded at the front of the diner and ominous stomps were heard all the way to the door. "Lina Inverse!" All heads turned to the sudden male voice in the doorway, and Lina squinted. He didn't look familiar…

"I challenge you, evil sorceress! You may be able to spook dragons but I shall pose as a greater threat than any mere dragon!" The sound of his sword being drawn made Lina roll her eyes in annoyance; this seemed to happen more and more everywhere she went.

"Have nothing to say? Hah! That is the might of my tremendous power, and you shall face it head on! I will have my revenge, sorceress!"

Revenge? What the hell was he talking about? She hadn't done anything that bad lately, in fact she'd been keeping a pretty low profile.

"Alright, alright. Just tell me what I did to make you want revenge, before I start to get mad."

The supposed knight blanched, not expecting such a calm approach he was a bit dumbfounded, but he quickly gathered himself again.

"You corrupted my humble village with your hateful essence." He spat.

Lina snorted. "I did what?"

"Corrupted! You corrupted my village!" The man was reaching near-hysterics now, and his eyes started to look a bit wild.

"What are you babbling about, baka? I did no such thing!" Lina was started to pass the stage of being annoyed, and was venturing into the grounds of being pretty pissed off.

"The head priest in my village said so himself! Just a month or so ago, as soon as you passed through our village, everyone started to fall ill and some even died! It is blatantly obvious that it is your doing, as you yourself are a plague to the entire world! You will pay for your sins, demon!"

Xelloss chuckled at the misuse of labeling, these humans could be so stupid.

Lina was mad now, and she slammed herself out of her chair. Hiyo placed a hand on her arm, attempting to calm down what now represented a small ball of fury. "Ms. Lina! Don't harm this man; it is obvious that he has been horribly misled if what he speaks is not true. It is not his fault!"

Lina contemplated that for a moment. Never had she been faced with such solid logic in an attempt to soothe her temper. She looked down at the maiden sorceress and felt that she had gained a new respect for her companion.

Xelloss nodded. "Yes, Lina-san. Maybe it is this head priest you should confront instead of his blinded puppet?"

Lina gently removed Hiyo's hand from her forearm and sat back down, still eyeing the crazed knight.

"What is the name of this head priest that told you these things?" Zelgadiss spoke this time, not really knowing why he had bothered to ask such a question.

The knight brought himself up to his full height and spoke with proudness, obviously beaming for the respect of his head priest.

"He goes by Rezo, The Red Priest."

--

Lmfao, I just knew as soon as I saw the first season I was going to write a story with this sort of plot twist! Hahahaha. Next chapter up soon! Actually I might just post it in the next hour or so…lol.


	11. Report

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

--

Lina laughed sourly. "Yeah right, you have to be kidding. I beat that fruitcake's ass hands down, and you better not try to tell me some shit about a copy Rezo. That gets so old so fast..."

Hiyo's face scrunched up in obvious confusion. "Copy Rezo? How could there ever be a replication of the legendary Red Priest?" Lina waved her hand, dismissing the question.

"Never mind, its far too long, and annoying, of a story to explain at the moment."

"Could there have been another Rezo we were not aware of?" Zelgadiss asked, staring pointedly at Lina. She shook her head.

"Nah, after all this time? I doubt it. It's been over 3 years since we defeated copy Rezo, and if there was another he's bound to of blown himself up by now or done something else just as stupid."

Xelloss lifted an eyebrow, his voice growing eerily low. "Then who could this self-proclaimed Rezo be?"

Lina shrugged, leaning back lazily in her chair. "Don't know, but he's got some nerve to go around saying this stuff about me. I never even knew the real Rezo and I'm starting to hate him just for existing at all..."

Zelgadiss nodded, taking a swig from his sake. "Should we confront this fake?"

Hiyo interrupted again, determined to get an answer. "Ms. Lina this is very disturbing. What is this nonsense about another Rezo?"

Lina sighed and looked over at Zelgadiss expectantly, but he shook his head and held his hand out towards Hiyo. "Oh-ho no. This one's all yours."

Grudgingly Lina explained the copy Rezo scare from what seemed like now ages ago, and how she had finally defeated him with the help of her old traveling companions. She even mentioned that he wasn't really that bad of a guy, he was just desperate to have a purpose in this world.

Xelloss laid his chin into his hands. "Does this mean that we are heading for this village that Lina-san has plagued?"

Lina smacked him upside the head, and grunted. "I did NOT plague that village. Damned priests, you and Rezo can go to hell."

Xelloss chuckled and rubbed his scalp. "Of course you didn't, Lina-san."

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes and pointed a stony finger at the dumbfounded knight. "What are we going to do about him?"

A cruel smile curved the edges of Lina's mouth and she got up to pat the knight on the shoulder. "He's going to lead us to his humble little corrupted village."

Hiyo frowned at Lina, and crossed her tiny arms. "Why would we go there Ms. Lina?"

Lina smiled sweetly down at Hiyo, too sweetly. "So I can kick Rezo's ass."

OoO

Lina marched cheerily down the road, what little belongings she carried in her handbag hanging over shoulder. She was following close behind the crazed knight who had barged into the diner just hours before, claiming to challenge Lina. Hah. She laughed to herself. No one could ever defeat her! Especially not this puny stubborn big-mouthed knight.

Xelloss watched Lina's long red hair swish gracefully behind her as she followed the knight leading them all to his village. She had seemed all too eager to go with this man, and he knew why: she'd had no where else to go. The look on her face at breakfast this morning had made that much obvious, and not to mention the relief that filled her face at the idea of leaving.

_Xelloss._

He blinked, realizing that it was his master calling for him. The feel of her mind invading his was the unmistakable feel of her dominance; it was his master's trademark.

_Xelloss, report here immediately. I wish to know how much progress you've made._

Xelloss mentally nodded, and he felt his master's presence slip from his mind, leaving only his conscience once again left alone.

"Well, it would seem that I must venture away from you all for a bit." All eyes turned to him curiously, but he just simply smiled and turned to teleport away. A small hand clasping his shoulder stopped him, and he turned to find Lina's eyes staring up at him.

"Why so soon?" Xelloss smiled faintly and reached his free hand up to grasp hers. His lips grazed the surface of her palm tenderly and she watched as his eyes slowly slit open to gaze into hers.

"Now, Lina. You of all people should know not to ask such questions." His voice was soft, slow, almost a purr. Her eyes didn't leave his, but she did slide her hand away, holding his gaze till the very second his human form disappeared from sight.

She raised the palm his lips had touched to her cheek, caressing her own face gently. For a moment she thought she could feel Xelloss's lips upon her tender skin.

Zelgadiss huffed, and turned to Lina with a scowl. "What was that?" Lina shrugged, dropping her arm to her side. "Nothing." And with that she continued walking down the dirt road, leaving everyone but the flustered Hiyo behind.

OoO

Xelloss reappeared in his master's quarters, his head bowed in respect to her presence.

"Tell me, Xelloss, what have you gathered about the little sorceress?" A cruel smile formed onto her full lips, somehow only making her even more attractive. She lifted a delicate hand to take a long puff out of her cigarette and cross her long, sexy legs one over the other, expecting an answer.

Xelloss lifted his head with his eyes still open and spoke, "She has the Heiliege Lance now in her possession Juo-sama, and as we speak she is heading for some tiny village out west of the Kimono Prefecture."

"Did you help her retrieve the spear?" a flick of her cigarette.

"Yes, Juo-sama, I did."

"Why is she heading to another village?" another flick, and to follow a sip of wine.

"Another imposture of the great Red Priest has appeared, and has his sights set on Lina-san."

"She plans to kill him?"

Xelloss chuckled. "From what I can gather…"

Zelas nodded, and took another drag from her cigarette. She raised an eyebrow while speaking. "I assume she doesn't know of your future orders?" Xelloss nodded, smiling wickedly. "You assume correctly, Juo-sama, she is oblivious."

She laughed, rubbing out the stub of her smoke and reaching out again to light yet another. "I've been watching you, Xelloss. I don't recall telling you to seduce her; it could very well affect your abilities to follow through with your orders." There was a sardonic tone to her voice; she was teasing him.

Xelloss chuckled darkly and waggled a finger at her. "You know that it is merely a ploy to lure her in, Juo-sama. I would never let myself be sunken so low as to feel human emotions."

He had always known just what to do to make his master laugh, for he enjoyed the sound of it. Her laugh was his confirmation that she was pleased, in return pleased him as well. Zelas reached with her free hand down to clasp the glass of wine setting on her desk, and took a nice long drink before speaking again.

"I have faith in you, Xelloss, but if you prove yourself to be unworthy of my faith…" She trailed off staring down into his eyes, her own eyes cold and emotionless. "Well, you know what to expect, now, don't you?"

Xelloss nodded curtly before excusing himself, and teleporting swiftly from the dimly lit room.

OoO

**Meanwhile...**

Lina thumped the knight on the back, and doubled over with laughter. "What is so funny, demon?!" He was starring daggers at her, obviously not getting the joke.

They had all stopped at a small clearing not far from his village, and he needed to change into his head priest's required uniform. After returning everyone including, surprisingly, Zelgadiss started laughing-the sorceress was the loudest of them all of course.

She laughed harder still, and eventually tears came to her eyes. She pointed down at his attire, and burst into another fit of giggles. "You're wearing a dress!"

The knight blushed, and stuttered pitifully. He'd never come across such a rude woman; no wonder she was a plague.

"Ms...Lina...you shouldn't laugh! It's...rude." Hiyo bit out between laughter, she really was trying her best not to laugh at the man's silly outfit.

Zelgadiss was muffling his laughter in his hand, as it was very hard for him to keep his composure and laugh at the same time.

"It is NOT a dress! It is what our humble head priest requests of us to wear as his loyal followers! How dare you disgrace him?!" The knight's face grew purple, and he stalked off down the road, ignoring the echoes of laughter that followed him.

Lina held up her hand in a weak attempt to stop him. "Wa-wait. Sorry for" giggle. "Laughing at your outfit." She bit her lip to suppress the bubbling laughter that was welling up inside her again, but she was not going to let him walk away and leave them in the middle of nowhere.

The knight dismissed it and kept walking, while Lina ran with Hiyo and Zelgadiss to catch up. Hiyo exchanged a worried glance with Lina, and decided to lighten the man's mood. "Excuse me, Mr. Knight? We haven't learned your name."

He spared her a glance. "My name is Cobalt. And what is yours young maiden?" Hiyo blushed and mumbled shyly. "Hiyo Takehashi, pleased to meet you Mr. Cobalt."

Cobalt grinned charmingly down at her, and turned to clasp her small hand in his. He kissed the top lightly and breezed. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Hiyo." Hiyo bashed her lashes at him and lifted her free hand to her chest, extremely smitten.

Lina rolled her eyes and walked ahead of the two with Zel, enjoying the familiar air of silence between them. She had never appreciated Zelgadiss when he traveled with her, for it always came to mind that every time he left he'd be back, he always had. But about a year ago, maybe longer, that last goodbye had really been their final farewell. By the looks of it their had been no fruit to his journeys.

"Zel?"

"Yeah, Lina?"

"Why do you want to be human again?"

Zelgadiss scoffed, but didn't look at her while answering. "Isn't it obvious? Why would I want to stay like this? Being a monster isn't exactly fun, you know."

Lina nodded but pressed on. "But why would you think that being a human is any better? Disease, war, death, old age, etc. Don't you like being invincible?"

He thought for a moment, and spoke slowly. "I am not completely invincible Lina, but yes, it does have its benefits. But it's not always going to be this great, eventually everyone I know will grow old and die. What happens to me, though?"

His voice had grown husky, strained. Lina wanted to console him in some way, but since she was not used to giving anyone else attention the light hand she placed on his shoulder friendly felt awkward to her. Now she felt like she understood his troubles more, and now she didn't see his wild goose chases around the world for powerful relics just as a cry for social acceptance, it was so much more than that.

Suddenly she felt guilty for not giving him the spear, but still that strange possessive beast inside her told her that guilt was misplaced.

"Hello, everyone." Xelloss' s voice sounded and his form appeared just in front of Zelgadiss and Lina. He looked over their shoulders at Hiyo and Cobalt, who were now holding hands and chatting, still oblivious to his reappearance. "What is this?" He inquired.

Lina shrugged and walked around him. "I don't have the faintest, Xelloss. But they aren't important, what IS important is that I see crazy's village just up ahead."

--

Next chapter up soon. Possibly by the end of the day? eh, who knows?;3

NOTE: You HAVE to go see this website I found on Lina and Xelloss...it is wicked funny! I laughed almost the whole time reading it. It has proof that both the mangaand the anime have given us little hints to their relationship, pics, and a really funny thing I posted on my profile. So go check it out! I posted the link somewhere in my page..i forgot where;3


	12. Imposter

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Note: lol thanks moon, but i'll start calling you panda-chan;D

--

Lina strode into the little village, her eyes darting everywhere. She was obviously expecting an ambush of some sort or at least a couple of angry stares. This town was vaguely familiar to her, but it held no significance in her mind when passing through. This 'Rezo' was definitely in for something more than he bargained for because when she was done with him...well...there really wouldn't be a him left to speak of.

This always happened to her, all these crazies were always looking for one way or another to kill her! Ridiculous...It wasn't like she ever did anything that bad, sure a couple of gangs here and there, but going so far as to kidnap her friends, kidnap her even, trying to blow her out of existence, put out wanted posters for her, use her emotions, and even taking her treasures for no reason at all? That was going a little overboard, eh? It seemed that all her troubles had started as soon as she had gained traveling companions long ago, not that she really minded. Having company was worth everything she'd once encountered.

Now that those days were over, things like this only seemed to piss her off rather than excite her as it once had. I mean, yeah, it was good to see Zel again, and Hiyo wasn't bad company either, but for once she actually wished she was just a normal girl that lived in the mountains somewhere. For once she wished she was still with her family, even if her sister was a scary bitch that was worth it. Xelloss she didn't count as company, though, he wasn't staying. And now that she thought about Zel wasn't either, at least she didn't think he was. Hiyo was probably going to go back to her village as soon as the war had ended and Lina would be alone again, blowing up stupid bandits.

That lifestyle had never bothered her really, and even now it still had a certain appeal to it, but having people to talk to every once in a while never hurt either. Maybe it was just one of those irreplaceable feelings being with friends gave her, or maybe she was just as crazy as the goons that were always trying to kill her. Eventually it would all end, just like it had a year ago. This kind of happiness never lasted forever; Lina knew that from harsh experience. She was happy for everyone, really she was, but it had always seemed unfair how she never got that happy ending, nothing was ever happy in her endings.

What was she thinking? This wasn't like her at all! She was supposed to be confident, beautiful, and brave! Not weak, ugly, and cowardly! Keh, that wasn't Lina Inverse at all! She mentally smacked herself and started walking a little straighter, feeling more like normal again.

"Head Priest Rezo's chapel is down this road and to the left, all the way down the Forrester's Trail." Cobalt spoke, pointing north. "This is as far as I can take you, I'm afraid."

Hiyo's eyes widened and she turned to clutch her tiny hands into his shirt, her eyes were watering. "You're leaving me?" Cobalt gave her a heart-wrenching look and embraced her intimately. "I'll find you again, my dear Hiyo. A knight always finds his maiden."

She smiled sadly when they broke apart, waving him off with a 'be safe' and then turning back to the others. "I'm going to miss him, very much."

Zelgadiss snorted. "I'm certainly not."

Lina seconded, "That goes double for me! He was so annoying, and a very pompous man. But I am happy for you Hiyo-san, you've found someone who cares about you just as deeply as you for him." A sad look passed over Lina's face before she quickly hid it with one of her cheery smiles. In truth she was just a little jealous that Hiyo could be so fortunate in love, but she really was happy for her all the same.

Hiyo noticed Lina's momentary slip but decided not to ponder it, Lina could handle herself couldn't she?

Xelloss glanced between the two, feeling their mixtures of conflicting emotions. He'd known exactly who Lina had been thinking of just a moment ago, and he'd recognized the usual feelings that clouded her mind everytime his picture came into her thoughts. It made him angry that the idiot swordsman had left such a deep wound on Lina, and thought nothing of it, or rather he was just too stupid to know anything was wrong.

Zelgadiss just stared at the three who had suddenly fallen into a critical silence. "What is wrong with you all?"

Lina looked up, almost surprised to see him there. She realized that he was sensing something was amiss, but she quickly put a stop to his assumptions. "Nothing! Jeez what made you think anything was wrong?" She lifted her chin up a couple of notches and marched up ahead, trying to look eager to reach this Red Priest.

Hiyo smiled reassuringly at Zelgadiss and followed Lina, while Xelloss gave him a knowing smile and tapped him teasingly on the nose with his staff. Zel reached out to smack him, but he easily dodged through teleportation up ahead with Lina. He grunted irritadedly and hurried onwards to catch up with the rest of them.

OoO

"Oh, wow..." Hiyo breathed, staring up at the huge chapel. It looked more like a mansion from where they were standing, and Lina was getting madder by the second.

So this is where the dirty fake lived? Keh. It wasn't THAT big.

"What are you all gawking at? Let's get in there and kick that little fruitcake's ass!" She growled before literally kicking the door open and barging into the huge entry hall.

The place was disgusting, there were cobwebs in every dreary corner, and even the bright sun outside couldn't brighten the dark house. It looked like it was...haunted or something. Lina ventured farther inside, everyone behind her following hesitantly. "Ms. Lina...I'm not sure I want to be here anymore. This place is kind of scary." The door behind them slammed shut as if by magic and Hiyo yelped while reaching out to latch herself to Xelloss's arm. He rolled his eyes and patted her hand sympathetically.

Lina turned her face up to the second floor balcony, and shouted defiantly. "We know you're here, you fruitcake! Now get your ass down here so I can kill you!"

A laughter cackled in response to her shouts, and the whole group froze in fear-except for Xelloss of course. "Ah, Lina Inverse. It seems you are still just as charming as ever. How pleasant."

A figure emerged from the shadows of the second floor and stepped forward to peer down at them with an evil smirk.

Lina's jaw dropped and she raised an accusing finger up at the imposter, "I-I know you! You were one of the mazoku I fought off awhile back!"

The mazoku laughed dryly. "It's so nice to see that you remember me, Lina-san. That's fantastic!" Lina growled. "What the hell are you doing going around spreading rumors about me? Didn't I kick your ass hard enough already?"

He only laughed again, this time hysterically. "When my master had heard of your search for the Claire bible, he sent me after you to eliminate you as a threat." His gaze swiveled to Xelloss. "But HE was with you." Xelloss pointed an innocent finger to himself. "Me? Why, yes I was. But what does that have to do with anything?"

The mazoku snarled. "That made it harder for me to approach Ms. Inverse, for I had to first lure you away from her. It worked of course, but the little wench still defeat me. Now my master has banished me from the mazoku realm and I am the laughing stock of my entire race!"

Lina rolled her eyes. "So? What did you expect me to do? Be a good little girl and lay down to die? No way! I'm a sorceress, not a coward."

An evil grin spread across the mazoku's features, his malicious face shone in the dimmed sunlight through the tinted windows. "It no long matters, young Lina, for I have lured you here so that I can stop all possibilities of my race winning the war against the ryuzoku."

Lina crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. "Let me guess, this is all about revenge, isn't it? You want to kill me so the mazoku won't have a chance at defeating the dragon lord, then you'll get to laugh in their faces while they are crushed into the dirt by the ryu?"

"Exactly."

--

Eh, I am sorry to inform the readers that since I am not getting reviews but from one person(to whom I am now in her eternal debt for keeping my spirits up on this one), I have decided that I might just drop this story. So far I've gotten since I last checked (bout an hour ago) 1,345 views all together, and each of my chapters have been looked through. I'm not sure if I should keep this story up since it feels like you all are reading it and then cringing in disgust. Sorry panda-chan but I might just drop this one into the dirt:( I've been working on this plotline for awhile now it does feel sad to let it go, but what happens happens, eh? Anyways, happy reading for what I predict to be the last chapter will be coming soon!

REVIEW, although I know you aren't I'm going to slowly kill my fingers a little more anyways:D


	13. Realization

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Note: Eh, what the hell was I thinking of? Stopping the story? Oh, hell no... It wasn't my fault I swear! It was the damned pepsi, gets me a little crazy sometimes:O Lol, anyways it doesn't really bother me that(almost) no one is reviewing. For as long as I have at least like, what, 2 people who want this story to go on? I SHALL GO ON! "evil laugh" lol gomen ne for the scare btw, I won't stop this story unless someone breaks all my fingers!...or steals my pepsi:D

Mmm and thanks desh-chan, you have boosted my already too high confidence level! Mwhaha. But seriously thank you so so so so so so so much:)

And of course thanks to moon-oops! I mean panda-chan;D for reviewing as always.

Deception'sChosen! Thanks so much as well, glad to see someone likes it;D Arigatou ne!!

ENOUGH STALLING...on with the story little kiddies, and just one step closer to killing yet ANOTHER imposter Rezo.

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"And what makes you think that the _mazoku_ race needs Lina-san?" The sudden seriousness in Xelloss's voice made Lina turn a wide eye to him. Uh oh, this guy hit a soft spot...

The-mazoku-with-no-name still only laughed. "You know as well as I do Xelloss that your entire race is cowering in fear of the reincarnation of Gaav. The only thing that stands between them and victory is," He offered his hand to Lina, "Ms. Inverse."

Before Xelloss could kill the annoying bastard, Hiyo jumped in to question him. "But what I don't understand is why would you disguise yourself as Rezo? Why not just come after Ms. Lina yourself?" He raised a finger into the air, an act dangerously similar to Xelloss's signature move. "That is a good question, little maiden, to which I cannot answer at the moment. Don't worry though; my master will answer all of your questions in time." Then he was gone.

"Ma...ster?" Lina looked back to the closed door, and a sinking feeling crept into her. "Who the hell is his master?"

Hiyo turned pleading eyes to Lina. "Ms. Lina I want to leave, it doesn't look like this is the real Rezo's home. So we can go now, ne?" She whined.

Zelgadiss turned away from them to yank at the handle on the doors, but to no avail. He tried again, this time much harder, but the door still did not move. "Damn it!" He gave an angry kick to the door. Hiyo moaned miserably and attached herself to Lina's arm. "Ms. Lina I'm scared. That man didn't look very friendly!"

Lina pushed her away and glanced at Xelloss, who was still fuming from the mazoku's earlier arrogance. But Xelloss hadn't denied what he had said either, so did that mean that she was his race's only chance at victory? Oh shit...

"Xelloss can you try teleporting yourself out of here? If at least you can leave then you could find a weak spot in the spell and possibly break it." Xelloss opened his mouth to reply, but Zelgadiss's rude snort interrupted him. "Yeah, right. Him? He'd probably just teleport himself outside and then leave us all here to die, don't bother with it Lina."

Xelloss clamped his mouth closed, and Lina looked nervously between the two. "Err...guys listen. We shouldn't be fighting about this right now, I mean-" But they ignored her. "Now Zelgadiss-san, that wasn't very nice. Shouldn't you consider your own selfishness first? It's only fair." Xelloss taunted, his pouty voice only angering Zelgadiss more.

"What the hell are you talking about, you damned fruitcake?"

"You've never left your little party to pursue your own desires? You can't tell me you haven't."

"Well yeah but that's because-"

"And you weren't the one that left Lina to fend for herself? That wasn't very gentlemanly of you, you know."

"Shut up, you don't know anything."

"Quite the contrary, my little rock friend, I know _everything_."

"Why don't we start pointing fingers at you? Don't you always leave right when we actually need you around? Don't you always lead us straight into the enemy's lair and then leave us to rot?"

Xelloss chuckled, and spoke like Zelgadiss was only a child. "Yes, indeed I do. But unlike you I have not claimed any of you to be my friends nor comrades. Everything is business Zelgadiss-san, business."

"You're a sick bastard, damn you."

Xelloss pretended to think for a moment, and then turned to give Lina a meaningful look. "Yes, you're right Zelly-san, there is one of you I do respect and maybe even admire. She might even be one of my, what you humans call, 'friends'."

He gave her a roguish wink and leaned down to give her a sweet kiss to the cheek. Her hand flew up to her face while she blushed furiously and stuttered, "X-Xelloss ah…hey!" She slapped him out of pure embarrassment and turned away from them, taking deep breaths. Why do I always get so excited when I'm around him? Something is wrong with me…

Xelloss laughed and gave a smug look to Zel while rubbing his sore cheek. "Bastard." Zelgadiss muttered, glancing at the white-faced Hiyo who was staring at Lina. "Oh kami."

"Oh kami indeed."

About an hour later, they all sat in what seemed to be the mansion's old dining room. They had each tried their hardest to bust the doors open to the old mansion, they even tried all the windows and walls, but they couldn't leave. Xelloss had tried teleporting through the doors, but he was thrown back by the barrier's strength. It appeared that whoever set this barrier up knew to expect the Trickster Priest and his mazoku powers.

"Now that we've beaten ourselves bloody, let's put our heads together and try to find out just who the hell is this 'master' that freak spoke of." Lina said, taking a seat on top of the enormous dining room table.

"Well, it seems obvious that since he was a mazoku that his master must be one as well." Zelgadiss replied, sitting instead into one of the chairs placed in front of the table.

"A mazoku lord? But who? I've never heard of any rouge mazoku lords. I thought that they were all still within the mazoku race's leagues."

Xelloss held up a finger. "Then maybe this master is not a mazoku, but maybe something else?"

Lina scrunched up her eyebrows. "Like what? A human?"

He shook his head. "No, more like someone who has enormous powers that can even threaten a being such as I. Like…a knight?"

Zelgadiss grunted. "Like that freak down at the diner? Yeah right, the mazoku would chew him up then spit him out."

"Not that kind of knight silly, more like a Knight of Ceifeed. Mazoku have been known, despite the obvious fact that Ceifeed is their enemy, to admire and respect the Knights of Ceifeed." Xelloss chuckled.

Lina froze, her eyes going wide. She was clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles were turning white. "No…you're wrong Xelloss. Wrong!"

She jumped off the table to start pacing around the room, her face a wild mess. Hiyo leaned over to whisper into Xelloss's ear. "What is wrong with Ms. Lina?" He chuckled.

"Ms. Lina's sister is one of the only known Knights of Ceifeed, little Hiyo. Her sister is definitely one of the only beings on this earth that can instill fear into Lina-san's heart. As you can gather they have never had the best of relationships."

"Have you ever met Ms. Lina's sister, Mr. Xelloss?"

"Yes, on one or two occasions I have crossed paths with Luna-san, and I do have to sympathize with Lina-san that she is not one of the nicest people. I think she could possibly even beat me if she put her mind to it."

"Oh, so does that mean she's strong?"

Xelloss slit his eyes open before answering, staring Hiyo straight into the eyes. "The power she possesses that the great Shinzoku Ceifeed left could quite possibly threaten my master, Beastmaster Zelas Metallium. This means that this human is one of the few whose powers extend a great deal farther then some mazoku. But Luna-san is actually very good friends with my master, and is seen as no threat to us mazoku, so I don't think Lina-san has any reason to worry at all."

He closed his eyes again, his mask slowly settling back into place, and smiled at Hiyo. She attempted to smile back but it was a very weak smile, for this information did not give her any pleasant thoughts.

"Lina-san you really have nothing to worry about. I'm sure Luna-san is the last person who would lure you here like this, wouldn't she confront you herself if she'd had anything to say to you?"

Lina looked back at Xelloss, and thought about this for a moment. He was right of course; her sister had never been one to sneak around. She liked to be in your face at all times and she never hesitated to confront a problem. Hopefully it really wasn't her sister, just the thought of Luna being somewhere in this building gave her the shivers.

Zelgadiss had overheard Xelloss and Hiyo's discussion and decided to cut in. "So, if not her, then what other Knights are there?"

Xelloss for once shrugged; he was at a loss of knowledge. "There hasn't been any other recorded Knights Ceifeed; Ms. Luna has been the only one to make her status know to the world. The others have been in hiding for, well, forever. No one knows of any other Knights. Of course they know they exist, but none have revealed themselves just yet."

Hiyo had never even heard of such knights, so she didn't even know how they came to be or anything of their existence. "How many Knights are there?" Xelloss thought for a moment. "That is not known either. A fragment of Ceifeed's power was passed down from generation to generation, but originally it is said in legends that there were four...or maybe five."

Lina sat back down onto the table, thinking about all the possibilities. Where would a Knight of Ceifeed be exactly? If Ceifeed was the great Shinzoku dragon lord, then where would the Knights hide out? Possibly as normal humans in some village somewhere, but she highly doubted that this one would be one like that. The ryuzoku are the lesser of the Shinzoku, and so that means…aha!

"I've got it!"

"You got what?"

"The answer! I know!"

"Think about it, Xelloss. If you are right and this is one of the lost Knights of Ceifeed, where do you think they have been hiding out all these years since the death of the great shinzoku died?"

Xelloss put his finger to his chin, thinking a moment. "As normal humans?"

"No! One of them, most likely this one, has been in hiding within the leagues of the ryuzoku! They want me because they think I'm the key to the mazoku's victory in the war, that idiot mazoku said it himself!"

Xelloss raised his eyebrows, and smiled. This was very likely the reason behind it all, it made a lot of sense. The ryuzoku were the servants to the shinzoku, and the lord shinzoku's reincarnations would naturally want to be apart of this war and to ultimately win. But there was a very, very bad side to this accusation. If it was a Ceifeed Knight here, then even Xelloss could not take him on and have any hope to win. Just like Luna, the other Knights are immensely strong and could put up a fight with a strong mazoku such as him.

"What's wrong, Xelloss?" Lina's smile was disappearing, and it was obvious that she thought he doubted her plan. To encourage her he just smiled. "Gomen Lina-san, I was just thinking. It's nothing."

She smiled back, and turned to the rest of the group, chattering away at Lina's brilliantness. Hopefully if Xelloss was defeated and killed in battle they could handle themselves, but not that Xelloss cared whether they lived to see another day or not.

--

;D

DON'T REVIEW.

I won't make you do anything, you sillies:D


	14. Suspicion

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Ah, there hasn't been any good Xelloss/Lina action! Hehehehehehe, not anymore:D

MATURE ADULT WARNING!

This is where the M rating comes in handy, little kiddies...:O

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"Xelloss?"

Xelloss turned his head to Lina, who had noticed his silence and saw it as trouble. "Are you okay?" Somehow Lina always seemed to know when something wasn't right with him, it was as if she was a mazoku herself, and she could sense his obvious discomfort. Of course he never let her know what had been bothering him, why should he? It would only give her an unnecessary burden.

"Of course Lina-san! Why do you ask?" He smiled cheerily, his eyes firmly shut, blocking out his tricky mind to any curious gazer.

Her face fell into a frown, and it was obvious that she didn't believe him. Even with his mask in place she knew, oh yes she knew, that something was definitely not right. But she could always pump him for information later-when they were alone. "Never mind."

Zelgadiss leaned onto the dining table with his hip, and turned to the group. "So what do we do now? We have our lead, but we can't just go barging into every room of the house looking for them. Do we just wait?"

Lina shrugged and hopped off the table to head for what she assumed to be the kitchen. As she walked she called back, "That's all we can do. But don't worry; they'll come to us sooner or later. In the meantime let's eat!"

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes, but followed her anyways. Hiyo exchanged an amused glance with Xelloss before following suit, him at her heels. Lina was snooping through all the cabinets and pantries, and finally came to the fridge where she started dragging out various food items. She handed out a random piece of everything to the group before taking a leg of meat into the living room.

Xelloss followed after her, a piece of bread in hand. He of course threw it away before exiting the kitchen. Zelgadiss and Hiyo went the opposite direction, and into the dining room. They knew that Xelloss and Lina needed to be alone, and even though Zel didn't like it, he left them alone anyway.

"Xelloss, don't bullshit me. What is your problem?" Xelloss chuckled, indeed Lina was smart.

He waggled his finger at her. "That's a secret, Lina dear."

She rolled her eyes and took a bite out of her meat, slumping into one of the living room chairs. In just that short time she had finished it already and threw it into the trash can across the room. Xelloss took a seat in the couch next to hers, staring at Lina behind closed eyelids. Lina cocked her head to him, her eyes questioning him with innocent curiosity. "Lina-san?"

She jumped, obviously not expecting him to speak, but still attempted a smile. "Yeah?"

"Why haven't you doubted me yet?"

"Huh?"

He leaned forward, bracing his hands on her couch's armrest. "Haven't you been even suspected me in the least?"

She swallowed, and her eyes traveled south towards his mouth, her gaze focusing on it. "Wh-What do you mean?" Oh no, here was this feeling again. He was making her heart beat so fast...so fast...Her heartbeat increased so much she thought it would burst from her chest.

"I could very well be behind all of this; I have every reason to have lured you here and then tricked you into thinking I had nothing to do with it." He lifted his hand to trace her bottom lip gently, his gloved hands making her shiver. "I-I trust you." She whispered against his hand, her gaze now lifting to his slowly opening eyes.

"That's a very bad thing to do, Lina-san; I'm not a good person to trust." Xelloss teleported instantly from his couch to hers, his hands seemingly never leaving her lips. She reached her hand up to start to slide his glove off, her eyes seeking permission from his, and when he accepted she slid it off gently. Letting it slide from her fingers to the couch to settle in between them, she slid her lips over his index finger, mimicking his earlier acts. Her teeth grazed against his skin and she heard his harsh intake of breath. "I trust you anyway." She breathed onto his exposed hand, sending another shiver up his arm.

He smiled at her, but this was not one of his normal smiles. It was a smile that made her nervous, one that said he was up to something no-good. Before she could even blink Xelloss had jumped forward, pinning her body face up to the couch while his strong hands gripped her tiny wrists, his face hovering over hers. "Do you really trust me, Lina-san?"

She wriggled under his body, unsure if she liked being dominated like this. "Do you have to ask? I just said I did, didn't I?" The annoyance in her voice made him chuckle darkly, and leaned down to slide his tongue along her neck. "So you did..." He murmured, breathing in the sweet smell of her long red hair. It felt oddly good to hear that Lina trusted him, but it also made him feel what he never thought he'd ever feel-guilty. Lina really shouldn't trust him, but she'd chosen and he'd already decided how much he liked his newly gained trust. It made him lust for her.

Lina couldn't believe what she'd just said. She trusted him? Like hell. When had she started to trust this dirty mazoku? He'd done nothing to ever prove himself worthy of her trust and yet she still felt it was only right to trust him. A moan escaped her lips and interrupted her thoughts as he bit down into her neck, drawing blood. He sucked at it gently, teasing her skin with his tongue as he drank. In any other situation she would have slapped him for ever making her bleed, but right now it just felt really _good_. The feel of her blood leaving her body made her dizzy and very responsive. Her hands pushed against his, wanting to clutch at something. Oh god it just felt amazing, like he was touching her whole body at once. He breathed into her ear, sending a jolt of electricity down her spine, and to follow a shiver.

He raised his head up to kiss her, his tongue probing her lips for entrance. As she accepted the bitter sweet taste of her own blood invaded her mouth, and it only seemed to add to her pleasure. Down there, she felt herself get very hot and tender. Her hips bucked gently against his thigh that had settled itself between her legs. She felt his hands rotate and he only held her wrists with one of his hands, while he let the other slide down her arm, neck, breast, and all the way down to her thighs.

In an instant her slacks had been undone and his hand cupped her through her undergarments, and she groaned into his mouth. He tore his lips from hers; his piercing eyes stared down intently into hers. "Do you like this, Lina-san?" His voice was low and gruff; the passion was obvious in his tone. He slipped one finger inside her through the cloth, making her body jump. Her only answer was another buck of her hips and a moan. The finger pulled out again, gliding up and down her, teasing her to the point of insanity. "Now, Lina-san, you have to be quiet." He gently probed again at her entrance, this time using two fingers. "Your friends will hear you."

She was panting now, and her body was on fire. This was so cruel; he was doing all these things to her and telling her not to react. Urgh this was driving her insane! Her teeth bit down into her bottom lip, attempting to soften her cries. She really did have to be quiet though, for if anyone walked in on them she would die of utter embarrassment.

"Ba…stard." Lina bit out, trying not to scream from the sensations he was creating. He chuckled before leaning down to whisper into her ear. "Do you really want me to, Lina-san?"

"Really want you to wha-oh." She blushed, suddenly feeling a wave of embarrassment crash over her. Did he really expect her to say it? That was just too evil, even for him. "Come on Lina-san. Do you?" He taunted sweetly, his voice still gentle in her ear.

His fingers lightly slid over her again, causing her to jump. He continued this until she was writhing underneath him in frustration and pleasure, moaning and cursing him all the while. Finally she groaned and hissed through her teeth. "Yes, damn you! Just do it already!" Xelloss laughed into her ear, causing her face to turn another shade of red at the realization to what she'd just said.

Before she could protest his hands swiftly pushed the flimsy fabric to the side of her sex, and pushed in two fingers, keeping a slow but strong rhythm. His other hand still gripped her hands together and she tried to push them off yet again, but his strength withheld her. He watched her closely as she groaned deep in her throat, her face betraying all her emotions.

Since when did his fingers make her feel this good? Oh god why were her hips rising to meet his fingers? And how could this possibly get better with each passing moment his fingers worked their magic on her? Never had she imagined ever doing this with Xelloss...Her eyes flew open as she felt herself being pushed over the edge, her mouth opened to scream but Xelloss clamped his mouth over hers, letting his ears be the only ones graced with the beautiful sounds of her climax. Her hips bucked one last time before the sensation faded, and Xelloss lifted his mouth from hers.

Slowly he let her wrists go, and her eyes opened again just as his were closing. "You are very beautiful, Lina-san." He murmured as he sat up, giving her a moment to collect herself and sit up as well. What Lina didn't know was that he was mostly referring to the unforgettable image of her pretty face as he sent her body over the edge, which indeed was a very beautiful image. She blushed, averting her eyes from him. How could she look at him after he had seen her like that? This was going to be very awkward now that she'd let herself be drawn to him. How did he ever do that without taking her clothes off...?

Urgh, damn Xelloss and his stupid fingers.

--

Don't kill me for writing a useless chapter to the whole 'scary mansion' thing! Ahhhh!

Lol, sorry but I had to fit my lemon in here somewhere, and you have to admit I found the perfect place to put it;D

I'm so jealous of Lina...;O!


	15. Hesitation

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

Note: Awwwhhh sorry panda-chan:( Didn't mean to upset you! Gomen-ne!

--

"Ah...er...thank you." Lina stuttered, her face turning an eerie shade of purple from the shame mixed in with embarrassment. Why had she acted like that? Xelloss was supposed to be the enemy...damn it! A mischievous smile spread across his face as if he knew, just _knew_, what she was thinking. Xelloss made her do that! He seduced her on purpose! This was all just another one of his games; he hadn't been affected at all. This was his way of showing her that she really _shouldn't_ trust him. Stupid fruitcake. "What's wrong, Lina-san?" He purred, his eyes taunting her with their smug knowledge.

Her mouth opened to respond, but no words would come out. She couldn't move at all. This was humiliating...And to think she was actually starting to believe she just MIGHT have feelings for him, but now she was realizing that she didn't. None of it mattered, and now she was pissed. As her temper snapped the spell was broken and she jumped off the couch. He didn't even blink, only stared up at her as she loomed over him. "I told you Lina-san, I really did warn you." The sound of the bitterness in his voice made her so mad that she could just..._slap!_ Her hand came down hard onto his cheek, stinging her hand in the process. "You...you...there aren't even any words to describe you. I hate you." She spat, her eyes filling with angry tears.

"I can think of a few words to describe him." Zelgadiss's voice wafted through the room, making Lina jump and turn to him. He looked just like she felt, pissed off. His face was red with anger and his hands were clenched into tight fists at his side. "Damn you, bastard. I knew you were no good." Zel zoned in on them, and stopped just in front of Xelloss. "What did you do to Lina?"

Xelloss's eyes were now just a blank, his face hardened almost to stone. Lina didn't know if this was his way of being guilty or being an ass, she didn't like it either way. She put her hand on Zelgadiss's shoulder, not looking at him but at Xelloss, holding his stony gaze. "It's ok Zel, it was my fault. I didn't listen." Zelgadiss shrugged her hand off and growled. "I don't give a shit. He should have known better, no, he _does_ know better." The distinct crack of his fist connected with Xelloss's face made Lina flinch.

"You do realize that this only makes me feel fantastic, don't you? You seem to forget I feed off your negative emotions. This a feast." The empty smile on his face brought a sinking feeling to her gut. Zelgadiss just growled. Lina turned away from them and walked to the door, stopping only to say, "So, that was it wasn't it? I was just another meal..." And she was gone.

OoO

"Um, Ms. Lina? Is something the matter?" Hiyo asked, exchanging yet another worried glance with Zelgadiss. Lina had been eating for the past three hours straight-nonstop. Not that eating had ever been anything abnormal for her it was just that his time it seemed she was taking it a bit too far. One plate after another she devoured with her tiny canine teeth. She stopped for a half a second to give Hiyo a strange look before returning to her food and saying between bites, "Of course! I'm fine, fine! Just hungry."

Hiyo tried to smile reassuringly, but she failed miserably as she felt the sudden need to cry for Lina. When she was moped into the dining room it was obvious she had been crying, but as soon as she had spotted Hiyo she brushed it off nonchalantly and ran back into the kitchen for food. Ever since then she was been doing nothing but eating and eating, Hiyo began to wonder if eventually Ms. Lina would explode.

Zelgadiss had come in not long after Lina had, his face was beet red and he looked very, very mad. She had thought maybe Mr. Xelloss would come in soon to help the awkwardness, but he never came. Neither Lina nor Zelgadiss seemed to care at all either, it seemed like they hadn't even remember he was ever here.

"Where is Mr. Xelloss?" Hiyo asked, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, and ended up making it even worse as she saw Lina's eyes start to glow with anger. "I don't know and I don't care! That damn fruitcake can go to hell, and his fingers can go right with him!" Both Zelgadiss and Hiyo frowned in confusion at her, but she ignored it and kept eating.

Hiyo sighed, laying her chin in her hands. This was going to be a very long night indeed.

Xelloss had been sitting on that couch for what seemed to be forever. He didn't know why but that look Lina gave him just before walking into the kitchen made him very uneasy. Now that he'd proven his point to her he wasn't sure if it was worth it anymore, but it did serve the ultimate purpose. This would put a very big glitch in his plans later on since now she didn't trust him at all.

He knew that he had only been taking advantage of her momentary weakness, for there were very few moments that Lina Inverse ever trusted anyone with her body. Hopefully this would make her wary of him now; it wouldn't be any fun to kill someone that didn't put up a fight. No, he wanted to see the anger spark in her eyes just before, he wanted to devour all her emotions and energy and watch as her face twisted in disgust.

Letting himself feel anything for her was out of the question, none of it was worth it. Lina was indeed very interesting and he had to admit it did appeal to him in some way, but Zelas would never accept anything of the sort. This was the only way to set himself from her, keep her on edge, and then break her down slowly till there wasn't a single bit of trust left in her body.

Now that she was angry at him, he supposed he wouldn't be very welcome near them anymore. That was fine, more time to himself.

Lina took another angry bite of her meat, chewing viciously and trying to forget ever seeing Xelloss. She could still feel his hands everywhere on her body, and yet he had barely touched her at all. The bite mark on her neck would likely never fade and she'd have to live with this miserable shame for the rest of her miserable life. In a way she was grateful to him for giving her a reason to doubt him, for trusting him at all scared the hell out of her. Now she could say with confidence that she felt nothing for him, nothing at all.

Finally Lina stopped in mid-chew, realizing that this was not working. She put down her food and left the room, seeking a place to be alone with herself so that she could hit something, anything! As she walked not even did she glance at Zelgadiss or Hiyo as she exited, and found another room. It looked like some sort of tea room, like the dining room but much more elegant. There would definetely be something breakable in here...

"Hello, Lina Inverse." A voice breathed down her neck, and faded as her arm swung around to slap him. He reappeared on the other side of the tiny table set with teacups, and grinned at her. "And how is Ms. Lina today?"

She growled and launched herself at him, crashing to the floor as he disappeared again. Gathering herself she spotted him this time hovering above the ground, waggling his finger at her. "Now Ms. Lina can't we talk?"

She ignored him and started just throwing teacups at him, he dodged each and every one of them, disappearing just before they hit. All of them crashed to the floor, into the glass case, over the chairs, and into the walls. When there was nothing left to throw Lina was panting, feeling oddly satisfied that she had let her anger out on something worthy of her efforts.

"Finished?" The annoying man asked, slowly landing back onto the plush carpet. She glared. "I'm not in the mood for this shit, buddy, so let's get to the point. Are you the one that trapped us here?" He laughed, his eyes twinkling in what seemed to be innocent amusement.

"Why of course I am." He bowed deep like a gentleman, catching her eye. "I am Faroh, the third Knight of Ceifeed at your service Ms. Lina." A triumphant grin spread across her face. "So I was right? You are in leagues with the ryuzoku?" He nodded.

"So just what makes you think they need me so bad to beat your leader?" He laughed again, this time mockingly.

"I see Xelloss has not informed you of what his master's future plans for you are?" She squinted at him suspiciously, wondering if she should believe the next answer to her question.

"What...plans?" She asked slowly, holding her breath as he spoke.

"I assume that it may have crossed your mind once or twice that his orders are to kill you?"

She hesitated before nodding. "You are wrong to think this, Ms. Lina. Why would I want to kill you if Xelloss was already first in line to do so?"

Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip, knowing she wouldn't like whatever he was going to say. "Beginning to see reason? Yes, I assume you are. It is not my place to tell you just what I predict his orders are, I'll let the mazoku decided whether or not he wants to say. Of course whatever he tells you will be his final words in this life."

Lina's eyes widened. "What?"

_Crack!_

--

OMG, what happened to Lina?

:O


	16. Death

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

--

"Mr. Zelgadiss, where is Ms. Lina? She's been gone for an awfully long time..." Hiyo nibbled on her melon bread a little more before taking her usual seat next to Zel. He sighed and glanced for the umpteenth time towards the doorway, hoping for Lina to come back. "I don't know, Hiyo, but I think that maybe we need to leave her alone for awhile." Hiyo frowned.

"I haven't known Ms. Lina for very long, but I don't think she's the type of person to stay by herself for too long. Something isn't right Mr. Zelgadiss. Shouldn't we at least go check on her?" Zelgadiss sighed again, but nodded all the same. Secretly he had been just as worried as Hiyo was about Lina, and he didn't think he'd like what he found if they went to look for her.

They searched the entire bottom floor in less then an hour, through bedrooms, bathrooms, empty rooms, and party rooms. None of them held any sign of Lina, until they came upon the tea room. It was trashed, with all of the ancient class shattered all over the floors, scrapes on the walls, and the glass case had been broken into. This had to be where Lina was, but the only question was where did she go? "Would she have gone upstairs all by herself Mr. Zelgadiss?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea Hiyo, but I hope she's not stupid enough to. In fact I know she's not stupid enough to. Something's up." Hiyo bent down to the floor, spotting something shining on the ground. She gasped and picked the shiny object off of the carpet. "Oh, dear Mr. Zelgadiss. Look!"

There in her palm lay a golden circle earring, unmistakably Lina's. He raised his gaze to meet Hiyo's. "Now I know something's wrong. Lina would never leave this anywhere, no matter how blinded by fury she is." Zelgadiss turned and exited through the door, Hiyo hurrying forward to fall in step with him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but let's go find Xelloss."

OoO

Lina cursed the man through her gag, but the sound came out only a muffled noise. Her hands and feet were bound to a chair in the middle of the small dark room, and her eyes were also blinded. Maybe that's why it was so dark...

"Now, Lina-san, you know I can't understand you so why even try it?" She said something again, pulling at her binds and shaking the chair with her body. Faroh laughed and she heard his footsteps approaching her. "Sorry to had to have brought you here like this, Lina-san. In truth under different circumstances I could see myself taking a liking to your spit-fire ways."

She didn't respond, only sat very still as his hand reached down to rest on her shoulder. "Ah, don't worry Lina-san. I won't kill you just yet. That I'll wait for your friend Xelloss to witness, otherwise it wouldn't be very much fun." Lina yelled again, making the chair wobble so much she almost fell over. Fun? This guy saw killing her as fun?!

Wait a minute, this guy wasn't just going to kill her...he was going to kill Xelloss too...Shit! Hold on a minute, why did she even care? She should be happy to hear that the bastard was going to get exactly what he deserved-death! Still even she couldn't be that evil as to wish death to him, after all he really had warned her.

"Mm, what's this? Feeling some regret of sorts are we? And to think, he touched you so,"-he ran his hand down her thigh.-"tenderly." Lina screeched at him through the cloth, wiggled herself away, or at least she tried to. The chair was wobbling back and forth with the rocking motion of her body as she let all her fury go. The bastard had been _watching_ them?! Oh hell yeah, he was going to die.

OoO

"Mr. Xelloss! Mr. Xelloss!" Hiyo hurried into the little living room where Xelloss sat alone and confined. He lifted his head towards them, his face not showing any emotion at all. "Oh Mr. Xelloss it's terrible! Ms. Lina has been kidnapped and taken upstairs! We need your help!"

"Oh, she has, has she?" He still didn't move, staying planted to the couch.

"Xelloss as much as I hate you, she's right; we need your help. Don't you feel even a little guilty? If it weren't for you Lina would have never even gone out alone." A small show of emotion flickered over his face, but he still did not move. "Mr. Xelloss!" Hiyo screamed, her tiny hands reached down to grip his shirt. Her voice was suddenly not squeaky and small, but deep and scary. "You will help Ms. Lina, won't you Mr. Xelloss?" He didn't respond, only sat mute.

A growl erupted from her tiny body and she picked him up and easily threw him over the couch, flipping it over on top of him. Zelgadiss gaped at her, stunned at her sudden show of strength and dominance. Xelloss stared up at Hiyo, he had been thrown way off guard by her sudden change of personality. "Now that I've got your attention,"-she walked around the couch to grab him by the shirt again-"_You'll help Ms. Lina, won't you Mr. Xelloss_?" She growled the words, glaring down at him.

"Er...why, of course I will Ms. Hiyo. Whoever said I wouldn't?" He replied a bit nervously, sighing with relief as she let go of him and a smile graced her face. "Great! Now we can go save her!" She squealed, doing another turn around on attitude. Hiyo glanced at Zelgadiss and frowned at him. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Zelgadiss? You don't look so good." He swallowed and shook his head, giving her a weak smile. "No, no, nothing. Heh..." She shrugged and smiled at them both before turning to lead the way into the entry hall. Zelgadiss exchanged a look with Xelloss.

"God she might be scarier then Lina."

OoO

"It seems your friends are braver then I first thought Lina-san, they are heading for us as we speak to save you." Faroh drawled, laughing. "It seems even Xelloss has been convinced to save you Little Lina, be glad that someone of such power will be here soon."

Lina stayed silent, clamping her mouth shut tightly. She refused to let him get another rise out of her; it only amused him anyway so it really wasn't worth it. The sound of the door slamming open filled Lina with sudden hope. "Master, they are already in the west wing and approaching us very fast." Her hopes were shattered as the sound of the mazoku-with-no-name's voice was heard.

"Fantastic." The sound of Faroh's heavy footsteps approaching made Lina stiffen and hold her breath. "Now we can prepare properly for their arrival." She closed her eyes shut tight, expecting him to kill her right there, but instead the bindings on her hands, feet, and eyes were released. The only one left was the gag in her mouth, which he had chosen to leave tied tightly with magic.

Suddenly his hand slid deep into her hair, and he brought a screech of pain from her throat as he yanked her roughly from the chair to stand. He pulled her head backwards, paralyzing her body with pain. She tried to struggle, whimpering and screaming against the gag in agony. "Shh Lina-san, it'll only hurt for a little while." Her breath caught in her throat as the knife he'd used to untie her was shoved deep into her chest. Lina raised her shaking hands to touch the knife, as if in shock from it all.

His grip loosened from her hair and she dropped to her knees heavily, everything going red. She coughed into the gag, suddenly feeling like it was suffocating her more then anything else. As she fell forward, two pairs of arms encircled her and she fell into someone's chest. She grunted and turned to lie sideways, peering up at her savior. To her surprise it was Xelloss himself, his eyes staring down at her with mute horror. Instantly he removed the now bloodied gag, and she realized that there was blood pouring from her mouth.

"X-Xelloss?" She choked out, cringing in pain as it hurt to talk. He raised a finger to her lips, silencing her gently. "Shh Lina-san, just stay quiet for awhile. Go to sleep, when you wake up I'll be right there with you." Lina didn't protest anymore, and she let the darkness invade her body and lull her into a deep slumber. Maybe she could trust Xelloss one more time, just one last time...

--

Kyyyaaaa!


	17. Thoughts

Disclaimer: Blah Blah I dont own blah blah;3

;D Review!

--

"Xelloss, Xelloss, Xelloss. It would appear that you really do care for this little witch, I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes." Faroh taunted, watching as Xelloss handed the possibly-already-dead-Lina to Hiyo and Zelgadiss. He gave them a smile before motioning for them to leave. "Take care of Lina-san for me, I'll handle this."

Zelgadiss hurried Hiyo ahead before giving Xelloss final annoyed glance. "Don't die, you damned fruitcake. Despite what she says Lina cares about you, don't screw it up this time." He ran down the foyer after Hiyo, and Xelloss just shook his head grinning before shutting the door soundly. "So, Faroh is it? I've heard of you, but never would I have imagined you'd look so weak."

Faroh snarled, for the first time showing any other emotion besides giddiness. Xelloss chuckled at how easily this man was provoked and even wondered why Lina hadn't managed to do it herself. "Would you like to continue this outside? I think it would be best if I didn't completely destroy your little home."

Xelloss smirked, and his eyes opened to increase the terrifying image of him beginning to lose his temper. "No? Then have it your way." He flexed his body inwards, a sphere of light incasing his body, and he straightened out like a spring sending a yellow-white light crashing through the walls, breaking Faroh's barrier.

He hovered in the air, not even bothering to look down to make sure Lina and the others were alright. Whilst she lay in his arms he had cast a barrier spell onto her earring, wisely knowing what was to become of this flimsy building. He spotted Faroh amidst the smoke, suspended into the air as well, and he didn't look too happy. He roared as if he was the Dragon King Ceifeed himself and unleashed a red flare of energy towards Xelloss, which he dodged with his usual ease, but he was quicker then Xelloss had imagined him to be. Faroh had anticipated his moves and was suddenly behind him, unleashing another red cosmic wave.

Xelloss groaned as the shot hit him straight through his body, sending him into the ground below. He recovered just in time as Faroh teleported downwards to strike down on him with his staff, but Xelloss blocked it with his own staff, struggling against the knight's power. In a desperate attempt to get away, he exploited the Knight's most obvious weakness. While they sparred he taunted softly. "Oh, come now Faroh, I know you can do better then that. Didn't you say this was going to be my last day on earth? You might as well stop holding back on my account." He teleported around and around with him, appearing at every possibile angle. And yet it seemed impossbile to catch him off guard, for everywhere Xelloss went Faroh was prepared with a rebound attack that he could barely keep dodging.

Faroh jumped back, smiling greedily. "You want me to stop holding back _mazoku_? Then as you command, Xelloss." He raised his staff over his head, his eyes glowing a dark blue. "I call upon you, oh great lord of the _shinzoku_, grant me the full extent of your powers and together we shall punish those who oppose us! Dragon Lord Ceifeed become my guide and liege in my quest for power!"

Xelloss cursed himself; it would seem that his plan had backfired. Despite his powers as a mazoku he doubted that whatever the Knight had in mind could be easily deflected, but then there was always other ways of stopping it. A whirlwind of red and black energy encircled the Knight, his staff glowing in an obvious preparation for attack. "Xelloss you fool!" The tornado took form of a huge dragon, growling and snarling as Faroh completed his spell. It detached itself from his staff, closing in on Xelloss with great speed.

A black orb formed in his hands, he expanded his hand outward while the black orb grew as his arms widened. The spell sank itself into the black sphere forcefully being sucked into its dark depth within Xelloss's hands. When the end had been devoured by his energy, Xelloss reversed it using up his powers to their near limit, sending the dragon right back at Faroh with twice as much impact.

The collision of the two brought an immense explosion, and even Xelloss was thrown back by the force. He smacked into one of the only left standing boards still attached to the old mansion, the wood howling as the wind blew through them. Faroh's form appeared amongst all of the chaos, his body laying limp on the ground. Xelloss winced while limping towards him, staring down at him feeling no mercy at all.

"You bastard Xelloss, even while I lay here dying I pity you the most. You'll only end up being thwarted by your own pitiful feelings for a human, and you know it. Lina Inverse will be the death of you, _mazoku_." Xelloss grinned evilly down at him, bending down close to his face. "Ah, such an impetuous man you are. What you say may be the truth, but since I will be the only one living another day you'll never know, now will you?" He crushed his foot onto Faroh's hand, his face twisting into a look of enjoyment to his pain. So many negative emotions just flowing off this human's body, it was like a Christmas feast and it was all his.

Faroh screamed, and gave Xelloss such a look of pure hatred that he just had to laugh, this was simply precious. Finally his face became stiff and Xelloss watched as his last breath was taken, his eyes falling down slowly. He turned away from the soon-to-be corpse, his face held no particular emotion; it was just an expression of what he supposed to be guilt or maybe even pain.

Before he could reach Lina and the others, the-mazoku-with-no-name appeared with his face an angry mess. "Damn you! You killed my master!" He raised his sword into the air and charged, while Xelloss just simply watched. He almost welcomed the thought of dying, but the mazoku's body suddenly caught fire and his body exploded on sight.

Zelgadiss stood a couple of feet away, his palm upraised and poised. Xelloss smiled. "Awwh, Zelly-san, does this mean you're finally warming up to me?"

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes, walking up to Xelloss to offer him a shoulder to support him with. "This isn't the time to be a smart ass Xelloss, Hiyo is trying everything she knows about white magic to help Lina but not much is working." He said while he helped Xelloss limp to the others.

"I have to say it was smart of you to cast that spell on Lina, Xelloss, you really saved us all." Xelloss grinned sadly. "Yes I suppose so, but if Lina-san doesn't make it then what was the point of protecting her at all?"

Zelgadiss didn't answer, but just stared ahead. Xelloss followed his gaze, and if he'd had a heart he was sure that it would have stopped beating. Lina's face was white-too white. Her head lay limp in Hiyo's lap, while Hiyo's hands were cupped over the wound a faint glow making them seem transparent. She looked up to them with tears in her eyes, her voice quivering as much as her body was.

"Mr. Xelloss, I don't think she'll make it." She sobbed, looking back down at the wound. "I can't take the knife out because it hit a major artery, so if I remove it"-she bit her lip and choked back another sob-"she'll bleed to death. I'm not experienced enough in white magic to stop that much bleeding. Her heart beat is so slow Mr. Xelloss...her body is getting so cold..." Hiyo trailed off, her voice fading similar to Lina's life span.

Zelgadiss let Xelloss down gently to sit next to Lina, while he walked around her to put a supporting hand on Hiyo's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll save her Hiyo, the wound is already closing." Hiyo offered him a watery smile. "I sure hope so Mr. Zelgadiss, if not I don't know how I could ever expect to call myself a protector of the innocent when I can't even save one noble woman's life."

He nodded, and glanced at Xelloss, who was staring down at Lina's pale face with no emotion at all. He reached out a hand to run his finger down her cheek, and smiled wryly. She was ironically just as cold as he was, maybe even colder. It pained him to see her face so dead, to see her usually over-spunked aura of dominance now dampened out by approaching death. "Lina-san..." He murmured absently, now stroking her hair. Even that seemed to have dimmed as well, resembling a flickering candle he watched as her once brightly burning flame now struggling to hold on to the only fragments of life still lingering within her.

One part of him tried to convince himself that he wanted her alive again so that he could complete his orders, but the other part knew that he just wanted to see her smile again, to see her give him that knowing gleam in her eyes as she told of her plans of victory, he just wanted her to _be_.

Lina was the one regret he'd ever had in all his years of living. Never had he given a second thought to any of the people he had disappointed or misled, but Lina's trust was the one thing he should have never tampered with. They both knew she hadn't disliked what he'd done, but it was just that the reasons he'd done it were all wrong. She didn't deserve that.

Xelloss could admit to himself at least that he held a strong sort of feeling for her, one that he wasn't sure just what to call. Seeing her die right in front of his eyes did not bring happiness to him at all, and that in an of itself was not normal. Just moments ago he had laughed in Faroh's face as he died under his boot, but with Lina it was tearing him apart in the strangest of ways.

And yet all he could do was watch over her, wishing that her eyes would flutter open and she could smile at them all while asking why they looked so sad. Lina was strong, and Hiyo had enough courage to do what she had to do to save her.

Lina would live through this, he was certain she would.

--

...:(...


	18. Revival

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything besides a few added chars and spells and such. Don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

**Note: **Ok, so yesterday I was in a pretty sad mood yesterday. I was listening to a really dreary song and I was crying like the whole time while writing the last chapter. Sorry if I put you all into sad moods too:( Lol, anyways the song I was listening to is called 'Song for R' by The Be Good Tanyas. Don't ask me why I was listening to them...it was my mom's old cd! I was curious, ok?

Read my story and I'll give you pancakes...:O I LOVE PANCAKES!

--

Xelloss put his hand over Hiyo's, gently removing it from Lina's body. "Ms. Hiyo I don't mean to be rude, but I think Lina-san needs someone with a little more experience to heal her." Hiyo gave a small sob before nodding, chewing on her lip. They had been sitting here patiently for hours while she had done all she could to help Lina, but it just wasn't enough. The bleeding was slowing down and the wound looked better, but they still had to take the knife out at some point. "B-But who? I mean, my father knows a great deal of white magic...but he lives at the base of mountains where the lance was once kept. There is no way we could carry Ms. Lina all the way there, she'd never make it that long."

Zelgadiss gave Xelloss a pointed look, and they both knew that Xelloss was the only one who could do it. Xelloss smiled confidently at Hiyo. "Now don't you worry about that Ms. Hiyo, I'll get her there." She looked up at him with wide eyes. "How Mr. Xelloss?"

He chuckled and waved his finger at her. "That's a secret."

She laughed weakly, but her eyes held no happiness or amusement. Lina's current condition was indeed not something to be happy about. Xelloss wasn't in very good shape either, in fact he could hardly walk on his own. He knew he could survive at least one last teleportation, but what would happen beyond that? If he used the last of his power to get Lina to safety then there was no way he could get to Zelas for help. Well, things would work out he supposed.

He scooped Lina up gently, cradling her head in the crook of his arm like a child. Taking a step back, he disappeared from sight with the small woman in his arms.

OoO

Landing in the forest, he nearly collapsed right there. He didn't think he could take much more of this, for if his power wasn't completely gone it was very close. He looked around him and spotted that he had teleported to the right place, there lay a small white house decorated by stones and crosses above the door. Xelloss cringed at the sight but bravely knocked on the door anyway.

A middle aged man maybe in his late 50's answered, the white stubble on his chin and the grayish color to his hair didn't hide the fact that he was simply the mirror image of Hiyo in male form. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and his hair was the same golden copper color as the young girl's, but the scowl on his face told Xelloss that he wasn't nearly as generous as Little Hiyo was.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded, eyeing the pale-faced girl in Xelloss's arms. It was obvious that this man didn't like him on sight.

Oh, he just couldn't resist. "I'm Xelloss." He replied with a grin.

The man scowled. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Xelloss chuckled, but stopped mid-laugh. This was no time for games; Lina was dying in his arms as they spoke. "Actually, no it isn't. But I assume the name Hiyo rings a bell?"

The man gave him a suspicious look, rubbing his chin. "You know my little girl?" Xelloss nodded. "Yes, in fact I was just with her a moment ago. She tells me you know white magic?" The man gave a grunt and a nod. "Yeah, I studied under the high priest of our village. After he died 3 years ago I retired, so I can't help you."

"So you mean to tell me that you don't remember anything about white magic?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then you can't take a moment from your life to save one of your daughter's closest friends?"

"Hiyo never mentioned-"

"I don't imagine she would have, for Lina-san here and Ms. Hiyo have only recently become acquainted. Along with me and an old friend we are on a little journey together. Ms. Hiyo has come to like Ms. Lina; won't you do it for your daughter if no one else?"

The old man sighed heavily, and gave up, opening the door so that Xelloss could step inside. "Just put her on the kitchen table, I'll have better access that way." Xelloss nodded, and set her down gently while stroking a piece of hair from her face unconsciously. The old man watched them closely, his face softening slowly. "I'm

Sano by the way, sorry for being so rude."

Xelloss shrugged it off, accepting his apology without a second thought. "I know what you are, you know. But for some reason you don't seem as fierce as people once thought, almost harmless if I was an idiot." Xelloss blinked, turning a blank face to the man. But soon his face uplifted into a wry grin. "You are smart, Sano-san, your wariness will do you good in the future."

Sano laughed, and thumped Xelloss on the back. "You're not that bad Xelloss." He reached for the glasses lying next to Lina on the kitchen table, and perched them onto the bridge of his nose. "Holy hell what happened?"

"She fell."

"Onto a knife?"

Xelloss chuckled. "It could happen, you know." The old man couldn't resist smiling. "Yes, well I can see that you are reluctant to tell but I do have faith, mind you, that you didn't do this." He turned his attention to Lina, and lifted and eyebrow. "Did Hiyo attempt fixing this?"

He nodded. "That's what I thought, the torn skin around the knife is already repaired and the veins aren't torn anymore." He glided his fingers down the knife and feel around the wound. "I can imagine that Hiyo was scared of how much blood would come out if she removed the knife." Gently Sano pulled the blade out, slowly sliding it out of her. Blood ran freely from the wound, but unphased he positioned his hands over it. A white light emitted from both the wound and his hands as the hole started to close slowly.

Even though only minutes had passed by, it seemed like an eternity when Xelloss noticed Lina's face starting to color again and her fingers twitched slightly. Sano smiled in relief as Lina groaned and opened her eyes slowly. "Mm, Xelloss?" She tried to lift herself up, but gasped and fell right back from the stinging pain. "Miss, I'd advice you not to move till I'm done." Sano said, still trying to concentrate on her wound.

"Done what?" Lina demanded, turning her head to see him better. Xelloss almost forgot that she didn't even know where she was.

Sano gave Xelloss an amused glance before answering. "Done saving you, little girl."

"Little? Keh, you're just another cocky old bastard."

"Maybe so, but it's not everyday a cocky old bastard saves your ass."

"Xelloss why did we come to him? I'd rather of died then woken up to that." She pointed up at Sano.

Xelloss pointed to him as well, smiling widely. "That is Ms. Hiyo's father, Lina-san." Lina looked back and forth between them. "Hiyo's...father." She said slowly, letting the words sink in. "How the hell is he related to her? She's nothing like him!"

Sano laughed. "It's nice to know that my daughter is befriending such nice people these days. She could learn a thing or two from you, Ms. Lina." Lina rolled her eyes and turned her head to the other side, looking up at Xelloss instead. She was still sort of surprised that he had kept his word, and here he was struggling to stand right next to her. "Did you bring me here?"

"Yes Lina-san, I did." Xelloss grinned. "I told you I'd stay with you." Lina blushed, not being able to accept affection easily she averted her eyes from him self consciously. Still not looking at him she asked, "Where are Hiyo and Zelgadiss?"

"I suppose they are still near the mansion."

"What happened after I blacked out?"

"Well, let's just say the mansion isn't exactly in the best of shape now."

"Oh...So he's dead?" Xelloss nodded and reached down to hold her hand gently. "Lina-san, you shouldn't push yourself. Rest for now, we'll continue this conversation once you've regained your strength." Lina opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it and instead just nodded. "Yeah, yeah, alright I will." She turned her head again to Sano. "Oi, old man, thanks for saving me. I'll take care of Hiyo for you."

Sano smiled and nodded. Lina fell asleep again after that, since she'd lost so much blood it might take days for her to fully recover. Xelloss was just happy that she was alive at all, and he'd wait ten years for her recovery if that's what it took. Sano took a step back and left Xelloss with Lina alone to venture into the kitchen. It was a relief to see that even after cheating deaths he could still hold a duel of the tongues with the first thing she laid eyes on.

Xelloss glanced up as Sano came back in with a small bag tied neatly with a tiny rope. "These are healing herbs to help her body recover all her lost blood. Give these to her twice a day whether she is asleep or not, but make sure to let her rest as much as possible. I suppose she should be back to normal within the next four to six days, but you on the other hand,-"He dropped the packet into Xelloss's palm,-"well I'd need to check that gash in your left shoulder to know when you'll recover."

"That is not necessary, Sano-san." Sano grinned. "No, it isn't necessary, but I want to anyway. I can already tell that you are weak. How do you expect to get her back to town in your position?"

"I can't promise you any sort of repayment, Sano-san, remember that."

He laughed. "We'll call it even if you just promise me that Ms. Lina will be in good hands."

Xelloss grinned. "That is one promise that I'll keep."

OoO

"Mr. Zelgadiss do you think they are ok?" Hiyo and Zelgadiss were walking idly down the dirt road towards Hiyo's village, assuming that Xelloss would bring her there after Hiyo's father was done. "I don't know, but I think they are."

Hiyo smiled suddenly, looking up into the vast sky above. "I have faith in my daddy; I know Ms. Lina made it. He wouldn't let her die." Zelgadiss gave her a strange look, but he had no other choice but to believe in the concept just as much as she did. After all for all they knew Xelloss could have taken advantage of the situation and dumped Lina into some river somewhere.

Would Xelloss do that? Xelloss was unmistakably evil, true, but he had a weird soft spot for Lina. He did try everything he could thing of to irritate her, but the effort he put into it was far more then he'd ever used on anyone else. Despite the fact that Zelgadiss wanted to wring his neck everytime he opened his mouth, the way Lina looked at Xelloss made him wonder.

Lina had been very disturbed by whatever Xelloss had done to her earlier, and it made him cringe to think of the many possibilities. Xelloss didn't look very triumphant afterwards though, but usually after making Lina angry he was ecstatic. Could it be that he felt guilty? Nah, Xelloss would never regret anything he did.

He was only a _mazoku_, after all.

OoO

Xelloss pulled the covers up to Lina's chin, smoothing them out over her small body. Sano had healed them both up nicely, and Xelloss could easily teleport Lina back to the village inn. She hadn't stirred at all since falling back asleep, and her face was still just a little pale. After settiling her into the bed, Xelloss sat to the lower part of the mattress.

Pulling out the little bag, he took out a pinch of herbs just as Sano had instructed him to do. He placed it onto his tongue, leaning down to press his lips to hers gently. He nudged the herbs between her lips, placing the herbs onto her tongue. Subconciously she accepted them, swallowing them down as if natural, never opening her eyes.

Xelloss pulled back, smiling down at her. This was, of course, not the way Sano had told him to feed them to her, but Lina didn't need to know that. He pushed a stray curl behind her ear before standing up and walking to the door. Giving her unconscious form a wolfish glance, he chuckled.

He was going to enjoy herb-feeding Lina-san indeed.

--

At first when I was beginning to write this chapter, I thought about skipping her healing process and just going straight to the day she woke up. But after reading the reviews I decided not to, and so the NEXT chapter will be her waking up. lol, and sorry but I couldn't resist having Lina wake up and start bitching at Sano-san, it was just too amusing of an idea not to:)


	19. Another

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

If you read I'll make you all pancakes...:O I LOVE PANCAKES! yummy:DDDD

**Reply to Reviews: **Hahahahahahaha...hahahahahahahaha...omgsh purin-sensei i was laughing so much when i read your review on Chapter 14, it just made my day:D And thanks very, very much I really have put forth a better effort at paying attention to my grammar and words and blahh!

Mmm, the lance of course is with Xelloss panda-chan! He keeps it on his belt or in his cape or...something. lol thank you as always for reviewing:DDD

**Note: **Well, I bet you are all wondering why the hell I haven't updated as fast as I usually do, ne? I regret that I haven't been able to write this chapter due to the fact that my little brother visited the lovely ER room. Great, right? He fell backwards off of our swingset Thursday morning and I stayed with him while he got stiches and drugs and what not. It was very bloody and nastyD; So I have been busy with my brother, and not to mention that I sprained my ankle too:(

--

Lina's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up with a yawn and a stretch of her arms. Feeling uncomfortable she pulled at her shirt, and realized that she was drenched in sweat. She cringed and slid the covers off her body, stepping out of the bed to examine herself in the mirror.

To her horror her hair was a poofy mess, her eyes were baggy, sweat was plastered to her forehead, and to top it off she had no idea where she was! Turning around, it was obvious that this was the hotel she had stayed at before heading for the church, but the thing was this wasn't her room.

If it wasn't her hotel room then who's was it? As her searching gaze found an eerily familiar tea cup lying on the small table near the fireplace, she blushed furiously. This was _Xelloss's_ room?

Why was she in his room? She blinked before snapping her fingers. Ah, right! She'd been injured by that fruitcake mazoku, and then blacked out. But she could remember Xelloss catching her just before she passed out. It was a vague image but she could still see his eyes as clear as crystal staring down at her with worry.

Regrettably she also remembered waking up to an annoying old man, one whom she remembered to be Hiyo's father and a white magic user. Curiously Lina lifted up her shirt, and gasped. There was a scar!

Right next to her belly button was about a three inch gash, closed up from what would have normally taken months to heal. If Hiyo's father had used white magic to heal her then there shouldn't be any sign that anything had struck her down. So why did she still bare the mark?

Everything was just too weird to explain, and she wanted explanations. For example: Why hasn't Xelloss killed her yet? Was she going to be the destroyer of all worlds? What were the ryuzoku planning? Why did she have a hole in her damn stomach?

If the ryuzoku were looking for a cheap way to win the war, then that meant the mazoku would start playing dirty too. Maybe even more then they usually do. She doubted that Beastmaster Zelas would try to revive Dark Star, but then again who knows? Would any of the other lords try it, if she didn't? The only ones left reside in water or extremely cold temperatures, but that didn't mean that they weren't taking part in this war.

The shinzoku must know that the mazoku have some kind of plans for her, but what plans? What could they still want with her after all this time? If they planned to kill her then what good would that do? She was no stronger then she was a year ago so what changed?

Growling in frustration she yanked her shirt back down, and turned for the washroom. The sight of how disgusting she looked made her extremely eager to sink into the warm water.

OoO

Dressed only in her slacks and top, Lina exited the washroom towel drying her hair. She stopped mid-stride when Xelloss came into sight, smiling innocently. "I see you've gotten your strength back." She nodded absently and walked around him to the chair her cape was draped over. Pulling on her boots she examined him from under her lashes, suspicions welling up inside her.

He was acting weird, weirder then he usually did that is. There was just something that too cheery about him, waayy too cheeky.

"Xelloss how long have I been out?" Lina asked hesitantly, figuring that his answer would be the reason he was being so strange. "About 4 days, 5 if you count the day you were stabbed." He answered while walking to the other side of the room to sit into one of the tiny chairs, still as cheery as ever. Well, it didn't look like that was the reason he was so damn happy, so then what was it? She looked down at herself, looking for anything strange or maybe an out-of-place clothing article, but there was nothing wrong with her as far as she was concerned.

Lina nearly fell to her knees, realizing what he'd just said, and turned a wide eye to him. "4 or 5 _days_? Are you kidding me?" She threw down her towel and picked her cape up, tying it furiously.

"I'm afraid it's no joke Lina-san, you haven't opened your eyes in nearly a week." He reached down to clasp the tiny cup, and raised it to his lips delicately, that grin still spread wide across his face. "Damn..." She threw her cape around her, letting it fall back into place. "Listen, Xelloss, I'm going out for a walk. Don't follow me." With another swish of her cape she was out the door, before Xelloss could protest that she might still be too weak to leave on her own.

He shrugged, knowing that she could handle herself for the time being. His smile seemed to widen even more at the obviously confused glances she had been giving him. Lina would never guess what he'd done twice a day every day for the past 5 days. She'd tear his eyes from their sockets if she ever got a hold of this information, and that seemed to please him even more.

Almost jumping with joy he shifted in his seat, feeling something poke at his side annoyingly. He reached into his cape to feel the hard steel shaft of the lance through his gloves. Pulling it out carefully, he held it in his hands meticulously, his fingers running up this sides to feel the strange carvings it bore.

Rubbing the tip with his index finger, he wondered what his master's plans were for the little sorceress. Even though he had been informed of what was to become of her he wasn't exactly sure why. What exactly were Deep-Sea-sama's plans? Nothing was as clear to him as it once had been, and it was indeed frustrating. He'd probably find out sooner or later, but of that he wasn't sure of either.

Replacing the spear within his cape, he picked up the cup and resumed sipping contentedly.

OoO

Entering the dining room, Lina started for the hotel's front door. But before she could even take another half step, two pairs of small arms crushed her body, and a sobbing familiar voice sounded from her chest. "Oh, Ms. Lina! I am so glad that you are ok! Mr. Zelgadiss and I have been so worried about you." Hiyo released Lina and took a step back, beaming up at her. Lina looked over her shoulder to see Zelgadiss smiling at her from the couch, some booklet in his hands.

"Uh, thanks guys. Sorry about the scare." A bright over-done smile lit her face. "I'm fine though!" Hiyo frowned in worry and put a gentle hand on Lina's arm. "Are you sure Ms. Lina? You were asleep for so long I-" Lina interrupted her with a confident laugh, and stuck her thumb into her chest, smiling wickedly. "I am Lina Inverse! You think some knife could get rid of me just like that? You have to be crazy!" Hiyo smiled back, letting out a relieved breath.

"If only it were that easy." Zelgadiss muttered, catching Lina's death glare over Hiyo's shoulder and laughing nervously. She waved her hand nonchalantly, still smiling. "None of that matters now, let's eat to get all this off our minds." They both quickly agreed and went off into the dining room.

While Lina was shoveling food into her mouth, Zelgadiss decided to ask, "So, Lina, where should we head from here?" She swallowed and lifted her head before cocking it to the side. "Aren't you going to leave again, you know, for your cure?"

"What about you?" She furrowed her brows. "What about me?"

"Don't you need help with the spear?" Lina bit her lip in thought, before shaking her head. "Nah, you can leave if you want Zel. I'm not making you do anything you don't want to do." He blushed slightly before answering. "But I want to."

At her confused blink and the flush of her face he hastily added, "A-At least until the war is over. But that is the longest I'll stay." Zelgadiss crossed his arms and turned away from them, his face still very red. Lina exchanged an amused glance with Hiyo before continuing on with the conversation. "But really Ms. Lina, where do we go from here? I mean we could always go to Nara, where that nice man told us to go but-"

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"I said that we could travel to Nara."

"No, after that."

"You mean Mr. Xelloss didn't tell you?"

Lina frowned, and crossed her arms. "No, _Mr. Xelloss_ didn't tell me anything. What about this man?" Hiyo glanced at Zel before answering, "Well, there was some man that came looking for you while you were asleep. He told us his name was Fairagg, and that he was the prince of the kingdom in the great city of Nara. There seemed to be some sort of trouble with his father, King Connor, and that he had been acting very strange as of late." Lina's frown deepened.

"So, what did he want with me?" Zelgadiss broke in, turning around to answer in place of Hiyo. "He'd heard that you were some sort of all-powerful bandit destroyer, so he left his kingdom in secret to seek your help."

"Why does he need my help? Can't he just talk to his father about the way he's been acting?" Hiyo shook her head solemnly. "I'm afraid it is much more than that, Ms. Lina. His father has been going on a tirade for the last couple of weeks, killing innocent people, creating unjust laws, and letting criminals escape the palace prison. The kingdom is in chaos, and apparently his father won't even speak to him anymore."

Shrugging it off, Lina resumed eating and spoke while chewing. "So what? It's not like they can't find someone else for the job right?" Hiyo nodded, but continued on. "That is true Ms. Lina but there was a very interesting part to the young man's story that we thought you might be curious about." Lina paused again, raising her eyes to meet Hiyo's. "Interesting?"

Hiyo nodded again. "On the day that King Connor first started acting strange, he received a gift from what the prince described as a very suspicious visitor. This gift was a spear, similar to yours Ms. Lina, but the color isn't the same. Fairagg said that it was more of a gold rather then a steel silver, but the effect seems to be the same as yours either way."

"So this means that there is a second _Heiliege Lance_?" Hiyo held up a finger. "Actually Ms. Lina, I went to see my father with Mr. Zelgadiss to look through his records from the old chapel, and I found that there are four _Heiliege Lances_. There was originally only one of them, but due to the immense corrupted power it held the red priest broke it into four and hid them in separate secret locations to keep even more chaos from spreading."

Lina sighed, and leaned back in her chair. "Then I guess this means that I really do have to take it away from the old man don't I?" Zelgadiss shook his head. "Not necessarily Lina, this could be a trap." She shrugged. "Yeah I know, but we still have to go and check it out. What would happen if gramps started widening his range of tyranny? Eventually he's going to just keep going till he claims and destroys the entire world."

Hiyo nodded, joining in. "If we don't stop him more innocent people could come to harm, and I won't stand for that." Zelgadiss rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, let's all travel into our obvious doom together then."

"My, my, it seems we are beginning to think alike Zelgadiss-san." Everyone looked up to greet the smiling Xelloss, who chose to interrupt at what seemed to be the perfect time. "It seems that you have all beat me to telling Lina-san the good news."

Lina frowned. "Good news? You call this good news?"

Xelloss smiled wickedly. "Well I am a _mazoku_, silly Lina-san, of course I dream about the destruction of this world." She let out an exasperated sigh and decided to let the subject go, and turned to the others. "So then it is settled then. We head for Nara tomorrow morning."

--

Gomen-ne for this damn thing taking so long.


	20. Plan

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

If you read I'll make you all pancakes...:O I LOVE PANCAKES! yummy:DDDD

--

"I want...that one, and that one, oh...and that one too! What do you mean they aren't for sale? _Make_ them for sale!" Lina uplifted her palm, showing a fireball in the making, and put it within an inch of the store clerk's face. His eyes widened and he hastily reached down to grab the little gems inside his store case. Tentatively dropping them into her palm he waved her away. "Take them! J-Just don't hurt my store!" Lina grinned and shrugged. "Suit yourself, and thanks for the gifts." She jangled them in the air. "Glad you changed your mind."

Zelgadiss shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Ever the charmer." He murmured, watching as Lina started yet another argument with the clerk. Hiyo gave Zel a worried look and held her hand to her mouth. "Oh kami, would she really blow up that poor man's store?" Zelgadiss norted. "Of course she would, and this wouldn't be the first time either."

Hiyo blinked, and turned to Lina again, who was now getting fighting with the store clerk about another piece that had caught her eye. "100? Ms. you have to be joking! This ring sells, at the least, for 500!" Lina slammed her hand onto the counter, earning a flinch from the man. "That is just way too pricey. Isn't there some sort of sorceress discount in here?"

"No, I'm afraid there isn't."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to get angry."

"W-Wait Ms., maybe I can-"

"Fireball!"

Too late, Lina's fireball had already burned him to a crisp before he could utter another protest, and before she knew it she was climbing out of broken piles of wood and debris. Taking a look around, she gave a sheepish look and rubbed the back of her head. "Whoops..."

"You! Look what you've done to my store!" The store clerk screamed, pushing himself out of a pile of what used to be his store, and pointing a finger at Lina.

"Heh, maybe I should just leave now since you seem to be so busy?" Turning swiftly, she turned tail and ran with Hiyo and Zelgadiss at her heels. The distant angry cries of the man chased them all the way to the edge of the town, and they stopped to rest. "Ms. Lina, why did you want all these so bad?" Hiyo asked between breaths, her hands supporting herself on her knees.

"Because these aren't just any jewels, these are magically enhanced jewels." She answered roughly, her hands braced against her knees as well. "What is that supposed to mean?" Zel asked after catching his breath."It means that we can use them to strengthen minor spells to last longer."

"What would jewels like that be doing in that kind of shop?"

"I don't know, but they reek of magical aura."

She stood up straight, dusting herself off. "Well now that I've got what I needed from this place, let's get the hell out of here. If we want to make it to Nara before tomorrow's nightfall then we need to head out." Hiyo gave Lina an annoyed look. "Oh, Ms. Lina, like we have a choice."

Lina whipped around, reading to spit fire at the little sorceress maiden when a cheery voice sounded from above, clamping her mouth shut she looked up to the hovering priest with extreme annoyance. "Oh dear Lina, has your nasty temper gotten the best of you again?"

"Shut up, fruitcake."

"Very clever comeback, Lina-san, your wit as usual proves to be just as big as your bust." Lina's eyes twitched at the mention of her bosom, and she shouted an angry spell up at the mazoku. "FIREBALL!" Xelloss as usual dodged it through teleportation, and reappeared just in front of her, his face only centimeters away from hers. He lifted a finger to her lips, and chuckled at the pinkness flooding her cheeks. "Now Lina-san, you wouldn't want to hurt a humble priest such as me, would you?"

She blinked, and after a moment of realizing what had happened her hand came into contact with his face. Xelloss fell to the floor with a grunt and a small 'oof'. "Damned fruitcake! You know I'm sensitive about that! I knew I couldn't trust you to travel with me, damned _mazoku_! I'll kill you!" Lina screamed down at him, stomping her foot with each word angrily.

"Now, now, Lina-san. I was only making polite conversation." Xelloss responded from below.

"_Polite_...conversation...?" The strain in her voice brought both fear and excitement to Xelloss, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to be here right now when she was so mad...

Sinking to her knees she grabbed the front neckline of his shirt and started shaking him roughly, cursing him with every name she'd ever learned. "THAT WAS NOT POLITE CONVERSATION, DAMN YOU!" In between shakes Xelloss tried his best to respond. "Lina-san,"-ack-"it was only a joke!"

"They're at it again." Zelgadiss sighed, shaking his head. "Why do they fight so much Mr. Zelgadiss?" Hiyo asked, chewing nervously on her nails. "Because Xelloss is a smartass, and he is the only one who can piss Lina off without getting killed."

"But she looks like she's going to kill him."

"Not quite, when they fight it's more like what I'd call a lovers' quarrel. Even though I hate to admit it, I know that Lina has a strange sort of connection with that fruitcake." Hiyo nodded, turning her attention back to Lina and Xelloss. "Do you think they'll stop anytime soon?"

"The only way this will end without someone, obviously Xelloss, getting killed is if that coward runs."

As if on cue, out of the corner of his eye Zel saw Xelloss teleport from Lina's death grip to hover into the air once again. Lina growled and pointed an angry finger up at him. "Get your fruity ass down here, _now_!"

Xelloss laughed, not making any move to comply with her wishes. "Now why would I do that?"

"So I can kill you!"

"Are you sure it isn't because you miss me already?"

"Keh, miss you my ass!"

"Come now Lina-san, why don't you be honest with your feelings?"

Lina clenched her teeth, balling her hands into fists. "You...you...argh!" At a lack of words, she stuttered, blinded by her fury. He was so annoying! Why couldn't he just go away? After what happened in the mansion she'd been even more annoyed with him then she could ever remember being, and it annoyed her even more that she let him provoke her they way he did. In a way she had been going a little paranoid, thinking that every teasing insult was regarding what he'd done to her only days ago, and it was so frustrating!

It had to be that stupid smile of his, that I-know-something-you-don't-know-smile. "Ah, yet another ingenious retort Lina-san, bravo." Xelloss taunted, breaking into her thoughts. A low growl sounded from inside her and she curled her top lip, revealing tiny canine-like teeth. "Shut...up!"

Xelloss just laughed again, enjoying every delicious negative emotion oozing off her tiny body. While she'd been sleeping he'd had no one but Zelgadiss to tease, but he was no where near as fun as Lina-san. "Wait, both of you!" Hiyo broke in, holding her arms out wide and planting herself just in front of Lina. "Would you two please stop fighting? We can't just sit here and argue while that poor city sits in ruins."

Lina grunted, but agreed mutely and turned her eyes away from Xelloss. She heard the soft 'thump' as he descended, and walked around both him and Hiyo to continue forward. Hiyo hurried to fall into place next to her while Xelloss stayed a little ways behind with Zelgadiss.

"Ms. Lina, why does Xelloss tease you so much?" Hiyo asked, staring at the side of Lina's face. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that he sees me as his 24 hour buffet. I don't know why he's so focused on me though, he could always annoy Zel."

Hiyo grinned. "I think he likes you."

"I think he likes to piss me off."

"Maybe that too, but I think there is something more."

"Well then stop thinking, it makes things a hell of a lot easier for everyone."

"Ms. Lina you really can't see it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." Hiyo persisted, the grin still on her face and growing wider with every word.

"He's a _mazoku_, he doesn't know how to like."

"After living for as long as he has Ms. Lina, I think he must have some idea of what affection is."

"Don't mean he has any affection for me."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you."

Hiyo rolled her eyes and folded her arms childishly. "Ms. Lina can't you even consider it? Think about how he saves you so much, and how all of his best efforts are focused on you. I know you are just a little slow, but to just write those facts off as normal is just plain dense."

"I am not slow!"

"Ah, so then you're in denial? Something must have happened between you two."

Lina opened her mouth to respond, but she clamped her mouth back shut as she felt heat flood her cheeks. "Err...no...I mean...well..." Hiyo held up a finger, smling openly now. "So something _did_ happen? I wonder if he thinks about it just as much as you do?"

"I hope not." Lina muttered under her breath.

"Ms. Lina I think you should trust Mr. Xelloss again. I know that what ever he did probably hurt your feelings, but maybe he had an ulterior motive to doing it. Maybe he's trying to keep you from trusting him so it would be easier for you to hate him if he ever had to do something bad, maybe he's protecting you."

"Then maybe I just shouldn't trust him, just like he wants."

"But Ms. Lina he has to be doing it because he cares about you."

"Hiyo, mazoku ain't the type to care about anyone but themselves and their master. Those kind of positive emotions hurt them, so they just don't bother feeling them"

"I think you're scared."

"Huh? Me? Scared? Of what?"

"Of getting hurt. You've been hurt before, haven't you?"

Lina turned her head away, keeping her eyes on the ground. How did this little brat know so much? Maybe she was right, because after losing the most important person to her it darkened a piece of her heart where love was supposed to reside, but she didn't think she could love anymore. Especially not someone who would obviously betray her without a second thought. Hiyo stayed silent as well, recognizing the obvious signs of wanting to stay mute and ponder the past.

"I'm going to kill you." Zelgadiss said through clenched teeth, glaring at the trickster priest from the corner of his eye. Xelloss only chuckled. "Well that's not very friendly, why would you do that?"

"Because you hurt Lina, you bastard."

"That, was not my intention."

"You still did it."

"Indeed I did, but how do you know her insults didn't hurt my feelings as well?"

"Because you're a heartless ass."

"Ouch."

"I hate you."

Xelloss chuckled again. "I couldn't guess."

Zelgadiss grunted and swung his arm around to yank at Xelloss's neckline tightly. "Don't you ever do anything to her again, you bastard." He hissed, throwing Xelloss backwards as if he were acid. Xelloss watched as he walked back on ahead to catch up with the females, and a frown grew on his face. "Well, it seems some things don't change."

OoO

"Oh gosh Ms. Lina! He didn't!" Lina yelped and clamped her hand over Hiyo's mouth, shaking her head frantically. "Shh, not so loud! I don't want anyone else knowing about this, it's so humiliating." Hiyo nodded, and Lina removed her hand slowly.

They were sitting atop the huge bed in their shared hotel room, and Lina had just explained her and Xelloss's little incident. She didn't really know why she told Hiyo, but the best excuse she could some up with for telling her was that she desperately needed advice on how she should look at Xelloss now.

"So that's why you were so mad when we were in the mansion?" Another blush swept over Lina's face and she nodded slightly. Hiyo's cheeks pinkened as well and she held an embarrassed hand to her mouth. "No wonder you were so mad, that's just plain evil."

Lina nodded again. "Yeah, I feel just so stupid. I actually told him to..." She groaned and reached for one of the pillows to shove her face into. "Did you...like it?" Hiyo asked quietly, and even though Lina's face was still in the pillow she could just tell that Hiyo was squirming around right now. Lifting her face up slowly, she thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah...I guess it did feel kind of good." She could just imagine how red her face must be.

Hiyo nodded, averting her eyes downwards as well. "Then why are you so mad about it?" Lina sighed and leaned backwards against the wall. "Because it was all just a big game to him, none of it meant anything."

"So you wanted it to mean something?"

"No...Yes...I don't know. I'm just so confused, and I have a feeling this is how he wants me to feel."

"Why don't you just talk to him?"

"Talk to him?! No way. I'd just embarrass myself."

"Then just get revenge on him." Hiyo met Lina's gaze and smiled innocently. "Revenge?" Lina inquired, staring at the sorceress she once believed to be innocent and naive with a new perspective. "What kind...of revenge?"

"Seduction." Hiyo answered simply, not batting an eye.

Lina's jaw dropped to what had to have been the floor, because there was no other word to explain her feelings besides flabbergasted. "I can't seduce a _mazoku_! I can't seduce anyone! I don't even know _how_ to seduce!"

Hiyo put a firm hand on Lina's shoulder to calm her babbling. "I can teach you." She said clearly, staring into her eyes. Lina swallowed hard, already feeling like she was not going to like this at all. "Umm, Hiyo?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't have to get naked, do I?"

--

lol, omg what will Lina do...? :O


	21. Confused

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

If you read I'll make you all pancakes...:O I LOVE PANCAKES! yummy:DDDD

**A/N:** Heh, sorry for the sudden randomness but the idea for this chapter kind of jumped out at me..so i HAD to write it! Lol, but don't worry we will get back onto the original plot...eventually...;D

Damnit I am so sorry I took so long with this! So many things came up all at once. I had to buy uniforms, and supplies, and shopping and blahh gomen-ne!!

ADULTS ONLY! MATURE MATURE MATURE MATURE! (Sorry panda-chan...:O)

--

"Wa-Wait Hiyo. I don't think this is a good idea. What if it doesn't work?" Hiyo gave Lina a final nudge and a confident wink. "Don't worry Ms. Lina, it will. I promise." And with that the door was shut with finality.

Lina sighed and turned to face the empty hallway, looking down to give herself a twice over. She was only in her pajamas just as Hiyo had instructed her to be, and mentally gave herself a kick. These pajamas were thin and tighter then she remembered them being, which was what she supposed was the proper attire for such a mission. The deep velvet color made her skin look delicate and pale, while her eyes shone even in the dim light of her hotel room.

Sighing again, Lina padded softly down the hallway towards Xelloss's hotel room. Stopping just in front of it, she felt a strong feeling hum through her body. Anxiety was taking over and all she wanted to do was turn tail and run for what she thought to be her life. But what would she tell Hiyo? Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hands to unbutton the first two buttons of her pajama top.

_Make yourself look seductive._

She shivered at Hiyo's confident instructions, and lifted her hand again this time to knock ever-so-slightly. _Please be asleep. Please don't hear me. Please don't answer the door. _She pleaded silently, hoping that mazoku were very heavy sleepers.

To her extreme displeasure, Xelloss did answer the door with his usual grin in place. He opened his mouth to greet her, but as if drawn there his head tilted downwards to her exposed v-shaped flesh, and his eyebrows rose. "Well good evening Lina-san, is there anything I can do for you?" He purred, his eyes opening to meet hers boldly.

Lina ignored him, and instead of answering only breezed past into his hotel room.

"Aren't you cold Lina-san? I worry about how careless you seem to be about the temperature drop." Xelloss chuckled and shut the door softly. "Xelloss do you have anything to drink?" She asked, hoping to relax her body with an easier tactic. He nodded and strolled to the tiny cabinet next to his bed.

Pulling out two glasses and a bottle of what she supposed to be very expensive wine out, he turned his back to her so that he could pour them their beverages.

Turning back to her he handed a glass to her, and took a delicate sip of his own just as she took hers. Tasting it, she smiled at Xelloss's good taste. He smiled at her over the brim of his glass and stepped just the tiniest bit closer.

Lina took a deep breath and raised her eyes to meet his. If there was ever a time to ask, then this was indeed the time. "Can I ask you something Xelloss?"

"I suppose."

"What emotions can you feel?"

Lina bit her lip nervously, and thanked the gods that Hiyo wasn't here right now. This was definitely not part of the plan, hell, it wasn't even _her _plan. She didn't know what kind of answer she'd get, and she didn't really know what would happen after she got the answer or even why she wanted to know at all.

Ever since Xelloss waltz back into her life things have gone from bad to worse to great and then all the way down to hell on earth. All of these mixed signals and heated conversations were driving her absolutely insane, and not mention it made her want to kick his ass.

It wasn't like she could make up excuses for him, or even herself. What she really wanted to tell herself was that it was all just a dream, just a really bad dream that she'd wake up from soon, really soon. Unfortunately that was not the case, if it was she wouldn't be standing here basically half naked with Xelloss staring her down.

"Why, Lina-san, that is a very dangerous question." Xelloss drawled, stepping forward to stand just a breath away. Dangerous? Hell yeah it was dangerous; everything with this damn priest was dangerous. Lina was never very keen with these things so the dawning of the situation at hand was a very slow one.

It would appear that the seducing was being reversed, and not exactly in the best of ways. The plan was to get him off guard, drug him, and then let him wake up as if nothing had ever happened. What was the best way to achieve this? Seduction. The point was to make him feel like he'd made her feel; used, forgotten, and most of all confused.

Lina jumped slightly as the butterfly touch of Xelloss hand on her upper arm shot through her senses. "Answer it anyway." She whispered, momentarily forgetting everything Hiyo had told her. Xelloss leaned down, pausing just above her lips. "You want to know Lina-san?" A soft kiss, one she could barely feel against her parted lips. He tasted of good wine and heated lust. His fingers brushed the hollow of her ear and led a fire igniting trail down her neck to the exposed skin just between her breasts.

"Yes." She breathed, feeling her body vibrate with excitement and anxiety. "I can feel..." Another kiss, one that lingered longer than the last, and then his lips were gone again. She resisted the urge to pull him back and instead reached her arm up to grip the crook of his arm for support. An unusual surge of passion shot through her and the glass in her opposite hand was dropped, crashing to the floor with an ignored shatter. Giving her a darkened look, his lips found her neck and trailed down to suck at her collar bone and then just below to the hollow between her breasts.

There was a mixture of annoyance and pleasure welling up inside her, and she found herself enjoying this more then she had counted on. A light went off at the back of her mind that shouted something was wrong, of course something was wrong. Her body was on fire, a fire that started to make her itch to be touched and caressed in a way that would make her scream.

Shouldn't she be pushing him away? No, there was an even better question. Did she _want_ to push him away?

_No._

Feeling one side of her shirt slip off her shoulder she shuddered as the night breeze from the window touched her delicate skin. She knew that she should walk away, just turn around and forget that he had ever touched her, but it was easier said then done...especially with lips sucking and gliding over her skin, tempting her to lose herself in the feeling of sin.

A strangled moan erupted from her as he slid the other side of her shirt slid down her arm to kiss his way up her bare breast, and she tangled her free hand into his silky hair. "Xelloss, what did you do?" She whispered, leaning her head back and taking deep breaths.

"Nothing really, but your next question should be what I put into your drink." She pulled back, preparing to bite his head off with a series of pre-thought insults, but she failed miserably as her legs wobbled and collapsed. Xelloss reached forward to catch her by the waist, not the lest bit surprised at her response.

"You drugged me!" Lina pushed at him as hard as she could, but was only rewarded with sore arms and a smug Xelloss. "Indeed I did Lina-san, and now your body will be useless against your heart's desires."

"My...heart's desires?"

"Yes Lina-san. This is what you wanted isn't it?" Her eyes widened as the realization of his question hit home, and it hit hard. This wasn't what she wanted, she didn't even really know what she wanted, but there wasn't any way to escape as far as she could tell.

"Xelloss...wait...stop!" He ignored her struggled pleas as his hands removed her top completely, revealing her bare chest. Lina was going to strangle Hiyo for convincing her not to wear anything under this damn shirt, if Xelloss ever let her leave that is.

Backing her up against his door, he grasped the back of her head with his hand firmly and let his lips connect with hers. The taste of good wine and oddly a hint of tea wafted through her senses as his tongue invaded her mouth. Her limbs felt weak and her body screamed for skin-on-skin contact with this man...who wasn't really a man at all. She had the worst of luck.

Lifting her pajama clad leg up to hoist around his hip, he skimmed his opposite hand up to palm her breast gently. The feel of his grin against her mouth as her hips bucked against him brought mixed emotions to the surface. "Let me go." She breathed, breaking away from his firm lip lock.

"Break away if you can Lina-san, if you can." He taunted, rubbing his thumb gently over her sensitive nipple and watching her every response.

"You're an ass." She hissed between clenched teeth, trying not to scream in ecstasy, and squeezed her eyes shut tight.

"It's a pleasure."

"I hate you."

"Indeed."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because this is what you want."

"No...it isn't."

"Ahh, then why did you come here?"

Damn. He had her backed into a wall, literally. "Point taken." She murmured, her eyes flying open just as his hand slipped into her pajama bottoms. "Xelloss wait I-oh kami..." Lina bit her lip as his fingers invaded her opening swiftly, and lifted both hands to grab his shoulders.

Xelloss watched her face relax and tighten as his fingers stroked her, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. She could never tell what he was thinking when his eyes were open; it was like trying to look through tinted glass with shades on.

"You still haven't told me what emotions you can feel, damn it." She ground out, her breath hitching as he used a third finger to rub her clit with the delicasy of a lover. "Lina-san, you should know by now that I can feel _everything._" His head lowered to suck at her earlobe gently as another shudder spread through her heated body.

"Everything?"

"Everything." He confirmed, lifting her other leg up so that she was straddling his hips and being supported by the wall behind her. Her mind was spinning so fast she thought she'd faint right in his arms. She was so shaken that she barely felt herself being carried and laid down onto his bed.

He hovered over her, his hand still creating a series of sensations all through her body while she writhed under him. "Xell...oss, this isn't right...this can't be right."

Xelloss chuckled and increased his firm rhythm, pushing his fingers in and out, driving her up the wall with passion. "Who said it was right Lina-san?"

"But it has to be right."

"Not tonight it doesn't."

Lina blinked, the sharp sting to her heart stopping all other feelings in her body. This didn't matter to him at all Sensing her discomfort Xelloss stopped moving, staring down at her with curious eyes.

Biting back tears she felt a rush of energy shoot through her and she shoved him off, jumping off the bed in a half-naked fury. "You don't undertstand Xelloss!" She yelled, folding her arms over her chest furiously. "You really are an idiot, more so than ever before!"

Lina couldn't help but let one tear slide down her cheek as her pain turned into fury. "Damn it Xelloss this isn't about touching, or wine, or drugs, or the lance, and this isn't even about why I came here. It's about love Xelloss, love! I can't let you do anything you want to me just because you want to, and your damned right I want to as well but I just can't do it! I want my first time to be with someone who I love, and to be honest it doesn't even matter as much if he loves me or not, just as long as I know that it's worth it in the end. And you know what Xelloss? I DON'T love you! At all! I have no positive feeling towards you whatsoever, in fact if you were struck dead right this moment I wouldn't shed a tear!"

She choked out a sob before slamming the door shut, and running down the hallway in a half naked blur of tears.

--

Damn this chapter SUCKED. lol, I rushed through the ending and I didn't really focus on the details too much...urgh i srewed this one up baad. I'll revise it later but for now just thank god I even found the time to write it!:O


	22. Invitation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

If you read I'll make you all pancakes...:O I LOVE PANCAKES! yummy:DDDD Annnnnnnddddd, if you review I'll put strawberries and whip cream on them:D maybe even chocolate chips...:0000 OMFG

**Note:** Yeah I edited the first chapter and made it just a wee bit better, check it out! :D I'll do some more editing later on, and it'll all be like totally cool!

--

"I hate him! I hate him! Ugh I hate him!" Lina yelled, pacing around the room like a spoiled child. She had barged back into their room still topless and with hickeys to spare as Hiyo hurried out of bed to offer her a nice robe, and now she was venting what appeared to be pent up anger.

"Ms. Lina maybe-"

"He is such a selfish little fruitcake! Touching me like that...and drugging me, _drugging me_! He drugged the infamous and beautiful Lina Inverse!"

"Well I'm sure that-"

"That bastard has some nerve putting something in my drink! I still feel all hot everywhere because of whatever he did to me!"

"Ms. Lina please just-"

"I was the one who was supposed to be seducing him, not the other way around! The one in charge was supposed to be me! Not him, me! Xelloss is just a selfish, fruity, twisted, freaky, son of a-"

"MS. LINA!" Hiyo screamed. "Please, there is no need for such language."

Lina cocked an eyebrow at her, resisting the urge to protest that Hiyo was three times the evil person she was. "Hiyo I don't know what to do, he'll never let me live this down!"

"Maybe, but you really should just ignore him Ms. Lina. I know I was wrong to send you off to him like that, but what he did would have happened sooner or later you have to admit."

Lina shrugged and crossed her arms, using childish methods to avoid facing her problems as usual. Xelloss just didn't understand anything, did he? Drugging her, confusing her, and to top it off attempted rape! Keh, she'd teach him a lesson tomorrow morning, oh yes, a good lesson.

OoO

"Morning Lina." Zelgadiss mumbled, not looking up from the newspaper in his hands, not that it mattered much to Lina since her head was down as well as she collapsed into her chair. "Yeah, morning."

Xelloss smiled at both of their bowed heads, and chirped, "Why, hello Lina-san. How are you this morning?" Her head shot up so fast Xelloss had to resist the undeniable urge to wince. "I'm _fine_." She grated out, clenching her teeth visably before turning her attention to the newly arrived waitress.

Hiyo frowned, looking at each face seated at the little table and contemplating just pouring her tea on all of them. Zelgadiss had barely uttered three words all morning and was oblivious to the hostility around him, Lina was in full on pout-mode and only spoke when spoken to (of course an insult followed by a death glare was directed towards Xelloss anytime he decided to speak), and Xelloss just sat with that smile on his face sipping tea, seeming to enjoy the less-then-happy moods they all donned.

Hiyo was used to her little brothers and sisters fighting, and of course she was familiar with the silent treatment that trailed after such childish fights, but this was utterly ridiculous.

"Err, Ms. Lina, I think it would be a nice idea if we headed out after breakfast. Wouldn't you agree?" She asked, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

"Whatever is fine with me, but since we have so much to carry we should probably leave behind the _unnecessary baggage_." Lina grumbled and turned a pointed look at Xelloss, lifting an expectant eyebrow. He raised a hand to his chest, an innocent and wounded look on his face.

"You couldn't be speaking of me now, could you Lina-san?"

"I didn't say that."

"Not directly."

"Would you two keep it down? I'm trying to read." Zelgadiss mumbled, his eyes still glued to the paper.

Lina ignored him, and turned her stone gaze right back to Xelloss. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what I said it meant."

"Didn't I just say to shut up?" Zelgadiss was looking up now, giving them both a irritated look. Xelloss smiled. "My apologies Zelgadiss-san." Zel snorted and lowered his head back down to the newspaper.

"Whatever." Lina responded, digging into the food that the waitress had dropped off.

Hiyo put her head in her hands, and rested them down onto the table. They were all acting like little children, no they were acting much worse then children. "Oh kami, this is going to be a long trip to Nara..."

"Lina-san, you shouldn't eat so much you know." Xelloss observed over the brim of his tea cup, earning himself a scowl from the little sorceress.

"I can eat as much as I want, and it's none of your damn buisness." She responded through bites of food, emphasining her point by taking large bites while speaking.

"Indeed it isn't." Xelloss murmured, hiding his smile with a sip of his tea.

"Lina?"

"What?" Lina grunted, regrettably putting down her fork and turning her attention to Zel.

"You need to see this." He handed her the newspaper over the table, and watched her face as she skimmed through the article.

"What the...?" Her face scrunched up in confusion, and she blinked trying to make sense of the words. "Is it already this bad?"

Hiyo gave her a questioning look, and Lina slid the paper over the table to her. "Oh no..." Hiyo murmured, giving Lina a worried glance as she read through.

"What is it?" Xelloss asked, leaning over to try and peek at what ever seemed to be so interesting. Hiyo shoved it into his hands and pointed down to the article. "You know that prince that visited us while Ms. Lina was asleep? It says here that he was attacked on his way back to his kingdom, right here in this town we're in. He has been comatized for the last two days in the hospital just down the road from here."

"So someone didn't want him returning to Nara." Lina mused, leaning back into her chair.

"It would appear that he didn't tell anyone that he'd spoken to us." Zelgadiss put in, taking the paper back from Xelloss.

"If he had then someone would have come for us by now, so it seems we are the uninvited guests."

"No surprise there..." Zelgadiss mumured.

"But besides that, we need to find out who did it."

Hiyo held her finger in the air to interrupt. "Um, Ms. Lina, how do you know that it wasn't just a coinsidense? It could have been just another robber gone wrong."

Lina smirked, and plucked the paper from Zel's hands. "It says that there he had a bag of coins attached to his hip when he was found just outside the village, which proves that if he had gotten mugged that little bag wouldn't be there."

"So is it safe to assume that this King sent assassains out for Fairaag's head?" Xelloss piped up, his gaze roaming from face to face.

"Personally I think it's all just too fishy, too obvious. I have a feeling that someone knows Fairaag visited us, and whoever knows doesn't like it."

"Does this mean we aren't going to Nara?" Hiyo asked, watching as Lina resumed eating her breakfast.

"Hell no! What are you, crazy?" She answered between munches, swallowing down her last piece she stood up. "Hurry your asses up! If we hurry we can make it to the outskirts of Nara before sunset."


	23. Truce

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

If you read I'll make you all pancakes...:O I LOVE PANCAKES! yummy:DDDD Annnnnnnddddd, if you review I'll put strawberries and whip cream on them:D maybe even chocolate chips...:0000 OMFG

Don't ask me why, but I was crying while writing this chapter. I have been listening to that Mulan song 'Reflection' and it just brought such nostalgia to me that I guess I started leaking lol. just wanted to share that with you:D

while I'm already feeling mushy...i just wanted to say that I am in eternal debt to all of you who review this story and are so kind to me and my mediocre talent. PANCAKES FOR EVERYONE!:)

--

"So, Ms. Lina, have you and Mr. Xelloss had the chance to talk?" Hiyo asked, walking side-by-side with Lina ahead of Xelloss and Zelgadiss. They had left their last village hours ago, and now the sky had darkened signaling that the sun was setting. They were nearing the forest just outside the palace, and there they planned to make camp.

Lina snorted, scoffing. "No, why would I talk to that fruitcake?" She gave a backwards glare to Xelloss, who only smiled and waved.

"Well, because Ms. Lina you need to settle things with him. You can't go on like this forever."

"Why not? It's not like he cares about me, so why should I care about him? It doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't have to." Hiyo answered, grinning at Lina's confused expression. "Ms. Lina, I know that Mr. Xelloss keeps deceiving you at every turn, and maybe he doesn't deserve to be trusted, but I think you should trust your heart even if it doesn't make any sense. Love doesn't always make sense Ms. Lina, remember that."

"I don't love him."

"Are you sure?"

Lina shook her head, avoiding eye contact. "Even if I do, and I don't, that kind of love will never make either one of us happy."

"That doesn't matter Ms. Lina, as long as you know you love him you'll find enough strength to believe in him. I think Mr. Xelloss just needs someone to have faith in him, even if he is a monster, he needs someone who needs him too."

Lina shrugged, looking out over the horizon. "That someone isn't me Hiyo, I just can't find it in me to love anymore. That part of me is gone."

"Ms. Lina hurt is a part of being in love, and when you fall in love either way you'll end up getting hurt one way or another. The best part is that love means trusting someone else to take your pain away with their love."

"Not from my experience."

"The way I see it, Mr. Xelloss is the one destined to heal your past wounds and bring a new kind of love to your heart."

"He doesn't even have a heart."

"I hope you aren't speaking of me, Lina-san, that's awfully rude." Xelloss pouted, suddenly appearing just beside Lina. "How did you ever guess?" She asked sweetly, rolling her eyes.

"And I'm the heartless one?"

"Now, now, Mr. Xelloss. I'd appreciate it if you didn't provoke Ms. Lina. She's very tired." Hiyo cut in, holding up a hand to both silence Lina and warn Xelloss.

Xelloss lifted an eyebrow, but complied with her wishes and gave Lina an apologetic grin. Lina just grimaced and turned her head the other direction.

Zelgadiss had caught up to them now, eyeing Lina and Xelloss. "Did something happen between you two? Lina is being more hostile than usual."

"Yes."

"No."

Both Lina and Xelloss had answered in chorus, you could just guess who said what. They turned their gazes to each other, Lina giving him a glare, and Xelloss answering her with a smirk. "Lina-san you couldn't be embarrassed about it could you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Zelgadiss stepped in. "Neither do I, but now I'm curious. Just what the hell is going on?"

Xelloss held up an informative finger, a smile spread wide across his face. "Well, Lina-san and I-" _Whack!_ Xelloss was interrupted by Lina's fist connecting with his jaw, sending him flying backwards. "_SHUT THE HELL UP!"_

"Oh, Ms. Lina don't-" Hiyo put her hand on Lina's chest to hold her back, but she shoved it away and advanced on Xelloss.

"_Argh!_" Her eyes were blazing as she leaned down to yank him to his feet by his shirt. "Tell me something Xelloss, why do you do this? _Why?!"_

"Why do I what?" Xelloss stared through his eyelids up at Lina's flustered face, knowing she was going to hit him again. In truth he really didn't understand her question, nor did he think he could push her this far more than three times in less then two days. It was in some sick way an accomplishment for him.

Lina bit back the tears, feeling the anger rise up and catch in her throat. Of course he didn't have an answer, hell, she didn't even have an answer. Biting her lip she decided to do something that no one would have expected, even her. Pulling him forward she rose to her tippy toes and closed her eyes shut tight just before she crushed her lips to his, using all of her pent up anger and frustration and turning it into something new.

Xelloss's eyes flew open, not for even a second had he predicted this. He wasn't really complaining, but this was not like Lina at all...and in front of Zelgadiss and Hiyo? Deciding it was better if he didn't move, he let his body stand completely still until she lifted her lips from his.

Resting her forehead on his, she stared into his eyes, never blinking. "Much better." She murmured, stepping away and releasing his shirt from her fingers. Putting her right hand to her side, she jutted out her hip and stuck the opposite hand's index finger into his chest.

"Now that this is all settled, let's just call it even. I loved the look on your face so much that I've decided to let it go...for now." She turned to walk past the stunned Hiyo and Zelgadiss, pausing only to look back at Xelloss with a smile and say, "But if you piss me off again, I might just have to tear your damn finger off. And that's no secret."

Xelloss stared at her for a moment before he found himself returning her smile, his eyes closing yet again as he gave Hiyo and Zel a respectful nod and continued on behind Lina.

Hiyo and Zelgadiss exchanged baffled glances and looked back forth between each other and them. "Mr. Zelgadiss, what just happened?"

"Hell if I know."

OoO

"Ms. Lina are you sure this is a safe place to make camp?" Hiyo asked, her voice shaking as she looked around the darkened forest. Lina rolled her eyes and bent down to set a piece of wood onto the growing pile of lumber in the middle of the small clearing. "Of course I'm sure, and even if it isn't we can take on any asshole that decides to wonder through here."

Zelgadiss lifted his hand, and mumbled a small spell lighting the wood on fire expertly from years of outdoor adventures. "It's not like we have much of a choice anyways, the closest hotel is most likely inside the city's gates. To be honest from what we've heard about the city of Nara I'd rather take my chances with any forest bandit."

"Damn straight." Lina mumbled, laying out her mat just beside the fire. Hiyo followed suit, laying hers down next to Lina's. "I know, but what if there is something...worse out here?" Hiyo protested, unconvinced of the lesser dangers in the forest.

"Then I'll kill them Hiyo, don't worry about it." Dusting herself off she turned around to reach into her bag, and pulling out the dried fish she'd saved from earlier she smiled. "It's dinnertime!"

Xelloss couldn't help but chuckle, watching them all from his perch in the tree branches above. He was glad that Lina-san was back to her usual self, hungry as ever. In a way it meant that he would have to try harder now to annoy her, since during the past couple of days it had been far too easy.

Lina glanced up at Xelloss, and smiled slightly. Now that things had been smoothed out, she felt more natural around him and it just felt good to clear the air. In fact she could hardly remember why she was mad at him in the first place...oh wait...yes she did.

She grimaced as the memory of that weird chapel came to mind, and all of the strange horrors that lay within it. Blinking, she realized something she'd almost forgot, something very important. Swallowing the last of her fish, she reached down to lift her shirt up.

Zelgadiss's mouth dropped open and he turned his face away, Hiyo's cheeks turned pink and she quickly averted her gaze to the ground, while Xelloss just leaned forward, peering over the leaves to get a better look.

"Lina, put your shirt down!" Zelgadiss ordered, his face still turned the other way. Lina rolled her eyes and frowned. "Idiot, that's not what I'm doing. Look at my stomach."

Both Zelgadiss and Hiyo opened their eyes and turned them towards her mid-section, and gasped. "Oh Ms. Lina how is that possible?" Lina shrugged, her face grim.

"Don't know, but it doesn't look good."

"That shouldn't be there Lina, it's impossible." Zelgadiss frowned, and turned to face Xelloss up in the trees. "Xelloss get down here." Instantly Xelloss was beside Lina, looking downwards towards her tummy. "Well, Lina-san, that is a very interesting scar you have."

"Do you know what could have caused this?"

"Obviously whatever Faroh used to try and kill Lina-san was no ordinary weapon."

Zelgadiss snorted. "Like we didn't know that?"

Xelloss shrugged, smiling. "You asked."

"Do you think he could have dipped it in Dragon's Blood?" Lina put in, staring down at the whole in her stomach in disgust. "Dragon's Blood?" Hiyo questioned, her face scrunched up in confusion. "Why would Dragon's Blood be that powerful? I don't think that it would have that sort of effect."

Xelloss frowned, realizing that Lina was probably right. The ryuzoku were getting smarter, and apparently they had already realized his master's plans for the little sorceress...and they had found the perfect backfire. But plans were plans, and no matter eventually he would still have to follow through.

Lina shook her head. "Not just dragon's blood, I mean the poison Dragon's Blood. It was used in ancient times past to ward off monsters from villages, one touch to a mazoku's body and it is highly likely that they'll die...or be in excruciating pain for a very, very long time."

"What is it made of?" Hiyo asked, eager for the details of whatever this poison was.

"I'm not sure, I remember reading about it a long time ago. The details are foggy but I remember something about holy water and things like that. I never thought I'd encounter it."

Zelgadiss watched Xelloss think, suddenly feeling like he was somehow involved. Vaguely he listened in on Lina's explanation and cut in, "If it is used to kill mazokus, then why would he use it on you?"

"And why would he use Dragon's Blood if he said he was trying to kill Lina-san?" Xelloss put in, his face hardened with serious thought.

"He knew that I'd live, he _wanted_ me to live. The ryuzoku have some sort of plans for me," She tilted her head to Xelloss, "And you know all the answers, don't you Xelloss?"

His face loosening into a smile, Xelloss held his finger in the air and opened one eye in a roguish wink. "Sore wa himitsu desu Lina-san."


	24. City

**Disclaimer**

**nikka-chi:** I don't own, but I really really want to own Xelloss:(

**Xelloss:** Whatever are you talking about, nikka-san? You do own me:D

**nikka-chi:** Omg really?! :D

**Xelloss: **Why, of course! I am forever under your command...just as long as you give Lina-san and I more lemony chapters.

**Lina:** Do it and I'll kill you. T-T

**Zelas:** Ahem, Xelloss? Just who are you forever under commandment of again?

**Xelloss: **Err, why you of course Juo-sama. 'sweat drop'

**Zelas:** That's what I thought.

**nikka-chi: **D;

* * *

**NOTE: **I am not like, an official beta reader or whatever, but I am panda-chan's (MoonPrincess623) beta person! She is an amazing writer and has the most freaking great potential EVER!

:D IF U LIKE MY STORY THEN READ HERS! **Chaos Girl **DO IT OR NO FRENCH TOAST! T-T

And of course, a biiiiiiig thank you to all of my loyal readers who have been keeping up with this story and giving me the confidence I needed to go on! ;))))))

FRENCH TOAST IF YOU READ AND REVIEW!:0

--

Lina awoke with a yawn, and propped herself onto her elbows lazily. Looking around the campground with one dreary eye open, she found herself not to be the only one awake. Hiyo was sitting cross-legged leaning against a tree, her striking blue eyes focused intently on Lina. Her mouth was set into a hard line, her face frozen in a mask of a mixture between anger and concentration.

Lina frowned, lifting an eyebrow expectantly. She had never seen Hiyo with such a serious expression, and directed at her no less. Maybe she was just a really hard thinker...

Hiyo blinked, as if just realizing Lina was there, and her face softened into a gentle smile. "Morning Ms. Lina, I was waiting for you to wake up. I wanted to bathe in that little spring we spotted on the way here, but I'm too afraid to go alone. You wouldn't mind coming to clean off with me, would you?"

Lina was still a little weary of Hiyo's change in mood, but brushed it off. What was she thinking, suspecting Hiyo? That was a laugh. "Sure, but let's make it fast. I don't want Xelloss spying on us." She replied as she rose to her feet, brushing herself off.

Hiyo nodded, glancing up in the tree Xelloss had inhabited last night, and frowned. "Ms. Lina?"

"Yeah?"

"Mr. Xelloss isn't here."

Lina rolled her eyes, turning to stare up into the tree as well. "Damn priest. He'll be back, don't worry. He always comes back...unfortunately." Hiyo couldn't supress a smile at the annoyed tone in Lina's voice, but hid it quickly at Lina's dagger glance.

"Anyway, he's not important. Let's go wash up." Hiyo nodded and trailed after Lina through the woods.

They reached the spring within the next ten minutes, and both stopped to admire the beautiful scenery. "Oh gosh Ms. Lina, it looks so beautiful." Hiyo breathed, stepping forward to run her fingers through the water.

"Yeah, you're right." Lina agreed, slipping her head band off her head. Walking behind a tree, she rid herself of the rest of her attire hurriedly, shivering as the old morning air chilled her delicate skin. The russle of clothing and the small splash of water told her that Hiyo had slipped into the spring, and she stepped slowly from around the tree to follow suit.

They smiled at each other slightly, wading around in the water a bit. "Ms. Lina this feels so good, but this water feels like its been heated." Lina nodded sheepishly, pointed at herself. "Yeah that was me, I warmed it up a little while we were changing."

Hiyo laughed. "It's ok Ms. Lina, it's not a bad thing."

Lina felt a bit uncomfortable at the sudden awkward silence that fell, and shared a nervous smile with the little sorceress. Averting her gaze away, she bit her lip and tried to think of a way to start up a more comfortable conversation. What kind of things were you supposed to say to a naked younger girl with boobs three times the size of yours?

She opened her mouth to speak, but Hiyo beat her to it, her face tilted upwards towards the rising sun. "Ms. Lina what will happen after you've touched the spear? Do you really wish for that kind of destruction?"

Lina shook her head, and lifted her eyes to gaze up at the pink-orange rays in the sky as well. "No, I think you misunderstand me Hiyo. I want to end this war, because I am unofficially the one who started it, but I am not strong enough. I don't want the spear for world domination, or destruction. You didn't think I wanted to end this world, did you?"

Hiyo turned her head, and Lina did as well, crystal blue meeting smoky amber boldly. "Of course not Ms. Lina. I was just curious." Her voice lacked the usual happy-go-lucky luster that the normal Hiyo spoke with, and instead it was replaced with a steady and firm fully female's voice.

Lina squinted, assessing Hiyo cautiously. This was quite a change, not exactly a bad one, but a surprise none the less. Suddenly Hiyo had the air of an elder about her, a touch-me-not aura that warded off anyone within their right mind. Where was the Hiyo of innocence, the young naive Hiyo?

"Ah, were you now Hiyo-san?" A smooth voice interrupted her thoughts, and broke of her and Hiyo's starring contest, bringing both pairs of eyes up to the dark figure looming in the trees above. With a screech, Lina sank into the waters neck-deep and yelled up at the intruder, "Don't you know anything about privacy?!"

Xelloss chuckled, leaning back against the trunk of the tree while still standing on the branch. "Of course I do Lina-san, but that doensn't mean I have to respect yours."

With a growl, Lina stood up while covering her bosom, and screamed, "FIREBALL!" The echo of his laugh remained even after he teleported out of sight, leaving only the charred tree behind. "Stupid ass..."

She turned to Hiyo, who had her slender arms crossed over her chest, she seemed to have reverted back to normal. "I don't think he'll be coming back, but there's no telling with him."

"Ms. Lina...Mr. Xelloss sort of creeps me out."

Lina laughed, almost hysterically, and sank back into the waters. "Welcome to the club."

OoO

"Where the hell are they?" Zelgadiss asked himself, scratching his head and taking a thousandth look around the campground.

"You wouldn't happen to be looking for Lina-san and Hiyo-san, would you now?" Xelloss's voice sounded just behind him. Zel turned to face the smiling priest grimly. "You know where they are, don't you?"

"Yes, indeed I do."

"Are they hurt?"

"...Maybe. Who knows?"

"You know, damn it!"

Xelloss chuckled, patting Zelgadiss on the shoulder compassionately. "Don't get so worked up, Zelly-san. You might faint."

Zelgadiss shrugged him off and took a swing for him, but Xelloss dodged, standing just next to his fist. "Where are they?" Zel growled, eyeing him closely.

Tapping him on the nose, Xelloss teleported into the tree. "Sore wa himitsu desu, Zelgadiss-san!"

"Get down here, damn you!"

"Ah, but why? It looks to me like you have more pleasurable company."

Zelgadiss frowned up at him n confusion before turning to find Lina and Hiyo climbing out from the bushes, their hair still damp from the bath. "Hey Zel, morning." Lina greeted with a grin, but Zelgadiss was too busy chasing Xelloss through the trees to notice. "I'll kill you Xelloss!"

Xelloss chuckled while teleporting from tree branch to tree branch, Zelgadiss only one step behind him as they raced through the forest. "This is so nice of you, Zelgadiss-san, offering me my morning meal." He called, dodging an Elmekia Lance with another laugh.

Lina rolled her eyes and started packing up, motioning for Hiyo to help her. "Shouldn't we stop them?" Hiyo asked, padding over to wrap up the mats. "Nah, they'll settle it themselves. Xelloss only wants his breakfast."

Hiyo gave Lina a confused look, "Mr. Zelgadiss stole his breakfast?"

Lina laughed, thumping Hiyo on the shoulder. "That's a good one. Heh, but no. Xelloss is a mazoku, and mazoku feed off of negative emotions. It's one of the reasons he travels with us actually, we're more like a buffet to him than anything else."

"Ah...I see. So Mr. Xelloss was only teasing us for harmless fun?"

"You could put it that way, although nothing with Xelloss is harmless."

As if if on cue, a thunderous cracking sound exploded through the forest, and they turned to find Zelgadiss and Xelloss to be the cause. Zel was breathing heavily, his face reddened in anger as he glared at the priest, who stood atop a cracked tree obviously cut down in the hot pursuit.

Lina shook her head, turning back to concentrate on her work. "See? I told you." She mumbled, buckling the strap to her carry bag. Hiyo nodded, more in amazement than understandment, and picked up her own bag.

"Alright you two, that's enough playing around! I want to see this city of chaos with my own eyes."

OoO

"Who are you? No one passes through these gates without authorization, or official buisness with his royal highness." Lina put her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes at the guards high and mighty tone. He loomed over them at what she guessed to be 6 feet tall, or maybe taller, his shoulders broad and his chin squared. That didn't mean that he could boss around the all powerful sorceress, Lina Inverse.

"Listen here, tiny, we do have buisness with 'his highness'. So if you'd just..." She stepped around him, reached out a hand to push the gates open, but he swatted her away. "I don't think so, little girl."

Lina's eye twitched, her eyes blazing as she raised them to meet his. "What did you just say?"

The guard gave her a slow, sly smile, realizing her weak spot. "I said 'Little Girl'." He taunted, sharing a laugh with the other guard on duty.

Hiyo raised her hands to cover her eyes, sighing. "Oh kami..."

Zelgadiss snorted, turning his head the other direction. "Here we go again."

Xelloss lifted two fingers to his lips, a worried expression on his face. "Oh dear."

"That's it!" Lina said, rolling up her sleeves. "I'm going to give you one last chance, before I kill you both." They laughed again, almost doubling over. "And what's a little stick like you gonna do to hurt us?" Their taunts brought another growl from the little sorceress, and a bearing of her canine-like teeth.

Lina smirked, raising her hands slowly, a spell forming on her lips. Both guards exchanged baffled glances and backed up, cowering in the obvious power that surrounded her.

Her cape flapping behind her while her hair whipped on the wind, she poised her palms in a sphere just in front of her, bracing her feet firmly. "DRAGON SLAVE!"

Needless to say, there wasn't much left of the guards...or the gates...or half of the city for that matter.

Lina climbed onto a piece of stone, peering above the chaos she had created. Half of the city of Nara had been reduced to crumbs, and yet no one gave her a glare or even a strange look. They all stared at her with tortured eyes, most of them beaten and bloodly-and not from her dragon slave.

It looked as if the gates had served as a no-way-to-escape sort of thing, and most of the people around her only gazed past her to the green grass and wilderness beyond. "Jesus..." She whispered, feeling the hurt from these poor people sink into her own heart.

Even the children looked as if they had been whipped mercilessly, and one she spotted didn't even have a hand. She cringed, the sudden smell of dead bodies wafting into her senses. Turning away, she turned to throw up, choking violently.

Standing to wipe her mouth with tears in her eyes, she climbed over the last of the rubble to officially enter the city. There were dead bodies scattered everywhere, and among them were people barely alive themselves, either mourning the dead or staring at the newly arrived visitors.

Hiyo put a hand on Lina's shoulder, her other hand clamped over her mouth. "Ms. Lina...what...dear kami..." She fell to her knees, her whole body trembling with shock. Lina glanced down at her, wanting to give some sort of support, but she knew that this was no time to fall apart.

Zelgadiss took her stead, lifting Hiyo up and into his arms bridal-style. "Lina what are we going to do?" He gave her a worried look, glancing between her and Hiyo.

She turned back to him, her face grim. "This doesn't change anything, we continue as planned."

"But what about these people? Shouldn't you help them?" Xelloss asked, stepping over a bleeding corpe, fresh from death.

Shaking her head, Lina turned away to let her gaze roam the sea of faces around them. "It won't do any good. The only thing we can do for these people is to kill him, this _king_. Then we focus on anything else we can do, if they are still alive by the time we're done."

Slowly stepping forward, she pointed ahead. "And that's where we'll find the culprit."

Zelgadiss squinted, shifting Hiyo in his arms. "Is that a castle?"

"As far as I can tell it is, so let's get moving." Lina replied, motioning for them to follow as she ventured further into the layers of dead bodies and bloodied people.

The people didn't make any move to stop them, only stepped out of their way, as if they just knew that they were there to save them. All eyes were on them as they made their way to the black castle beyond.

--

Didn't have time to put this on 'Word' so if there are mistakes I apologise:)


	25. Castle

**Disclaimer**

**nikka-chi:** I still don't own Xelloss...:(...And it's all Zelas's fault!

**Zelas:** My fault? I _created_ him! If it weren't for me he wouldn't even exist.

**nikka-chi: **You could share! 'pout'

**Zelas:** Just be thankful I even let him leave the island.

**nikka-chi: **Keh, bitch...

**Zelas: **What was that?

**nikka-chi: **'smirks' Oh nothing, nothing.

* * *

"Dear god look at these people." Zelgadiss muttered, trailing behind Lina cautiously. Lina closed her eyes and turned her head, trying not to look at the haunting images surrounding her. "How's Hiyo?" She asked, staying off the subject.

"She fainted, but she's fine."

She nodded, not bothering to look back. "Lina-san, what do you plan to do once we arrive? This king's spear is probably just as powerful as ours, which means alone you are no match against it." Xelloss asked, giving Lina a worried glance.

"We'll see about that."

"Lina-san I don't quite think you understand. He'll kill you, it's almost like you trying to defeat a _shinzoku_ alone."

"Then I guess I'll have to use my lance, now won't I?"

"But then you'd be just as crazy as him, and even if you do defeat him there won't be any chance of reversing the influence of the spear." Zelgadiss put in, for once agreeging with Xelloss.

"Which means?" Lina inquired, obviously not taking this as seriously as she should.

"You'll stay like that forever."

"So there isn't any way at all to stop me?" She turned back now, her eyes showing no emotion, her face set hard in stone.

"There is one way." Xelloss started, his eyes opening to shine in the blinding afternoon sun.

"And what is that?" Lina inquired, taking the bait.

"I'd have to kill you." He answered simply, a smile upturning the sides of his lips.

"Ah."

Turning around again, she sighed deeply. "Fine, then. Kill me. Zelgadiss can have the spear once I'm gone."

Zelgadiss blinked, giving the back of her head a startled look. "Lina...no. This place isn't your responsibility, we can leave!"

"Are you serious? Are you _blind_? Look around, Zel! What the hell am I supposed to when I'm staring into the faces of all these helpless people, these innocent people? You make the decision then. Look that woman right there," She pointed to a wide-eyed female off to the side with cuts running down her face and torn clothes, who cowered in the shadows at the sudden attention, "that we're leaving! Tell her! Tell her how selfish we are!"

Her voice was breaking now, her eyes watery and her hands shaking. It was obvious that she was biting her lip, a small trail of blood running down her lip. Never had she suspected that this place had been this terrible, but now she knew that it _was_ her resposibiblity to fix it, to save all of these tortured souls. The full weight of what she was about to do was hitting home, crushing her resolve.

All Zel could do was stare, glancing at the woman in question. He sighed, lowering his head in shame at the realization of what he'd suggested. "I'm sorry Lina, I wasn't thinking." She nodded, turning from him. A strangled sob sounded from her, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Lina, are you ok?"

Letting her arms drop to her side, she answered flatly. "I'm...fine." Taking a deep breath, she

Xelloss had watched the scene unfold, his curiosity budding. Lina was scared, more so than he ever imagined she'd be. Of course he'd seen her in many states of distress, but this was different. She knew that as soon as she took hold of the spear she'd have the uncontrolable urge to do exactly what this king had done to his subjects, and having that little power over one's self would be quite terrifying.

Lina of course would never admit it, she'd fight to the end, get herself killed, and never utter a word of fear or weakness. That was, from one point of view, incredibly stupid...but from her perspective? It was being brave, strong, independant, and reliable to a T.

It was one of the many traits Xelloss admired about her, and despite his cruel comments, he respected her. How could she not want to save this people? Why, even Xelloss himself felt some sort of pity for them. Not enough to care about them, but enough to give them the decency of one compassionate thought.

A creak brought him to reality, and he looked up to see Lina clutching both hands around the steel bars that were the gates to the palace. She shoved them open, bringing a cling-clang as it swang forward granting them entrance. They all looked up to the ominous looking castle that seemed to loom in a enormous shadow of darkness, and a shiver ran through their spines.

"Are you ready?" Lina breathed, taking a step forward.

"I suppose." Xelloss answered nonchalantly, his air of superiorness radiating.

"Yeah." Zelgadiss seconded, giving Lina a confident smile.

"Alright then, let's go."

OoO

"I told you, we should take the right!" Lina shouted, jutting her finger in the direction spoken.

"No, the left!" Zelgadiss jutted his finger as well, only his in the opposing side to Lina's.

"Right!"

"Left!"

Xelloss sighed, his eyes darting between Lina and Zelgadiss as they fought over which hallway to take that would lead to the throne room; where they assumed this king would be.

Hiyo sat propped next to him, still unconscious, and lay limp almost irnonically. Eventually a guard would find them by following the shouts, but who was he to interveine? Lina would just yell at him, and Zelgadiss...well Zelgadiss hated him either way.

It was a lose, lose situation.

For once he wish that the perky little Hiyo were conscious, for she was usually the only one who could bring reason into the stupid arguments they had gotten themselves into. Xelloss could probably wake her, but why should he care? It wasn't really his problem, and he didn't feel like it anyway.

"Listen, Zel, I'm expierienced with this sort of thing. I think I know what I'm doing."

"Do you know how many ancient ruins and mazes I've been through, Lina? And besides your sense of direction is useless."

"Oh, yeah right! You just can't face that I know something you don't!"

"Wha- That's so idioic that there aren't even enough words to describe how stupid you sound."

"Don't give me that high-and-mighty bullshit! You aren't any better than me!"

"I beg to differ."

"Fuck you!"

Lina was red-faced now, her hands clenched into tight balls at her sides. Zel was of course one of her dearest, and oldest, friends, but he was an asshole 99 of the time. His arms were crossed, his body turned half-away from her, just oozing arrogance off his stone body.

She clenched her teeth, lifting her hands to blow his ass up with another dragon slave, but a chorus of voices interrupted her.

"What was that?!"

"I don't know. Could it be the intruders from the gates?"

"You check down the main hall, I'll go this way towards the right wing."

Zel and Lina exchanged surprised glances, and turned their heads towards the voices. There were two or three guards towards the end of the corridor, and one of them was heading for them fast. He couldn't see them due to how dark and shadowy the palace was.

Lina took advantage of this and hurried over to grab Xelloss by the collar, and while she dragged him off she whispered harshly to Zel, "Get Hiyo, you idiot!"

He nodded, pulling Hiyo into his arms and trailing behind Lina and the carpet-sore Xelloss.

After what seemed like forever, they stormed into the nearest room possible, barely dodging a new wave of guards hot on their trail. Lina collapsed onto the floor, her breathing heavy and constricted. "Those guys...don't...give up...do they?"

Zelgadiss placed Hiyo onto a near by couch before collapsing into a chair himself. "It's your fault, Lina. If you'd have just gone my way sooner then we wouldn't have had to run."

"Whatever, it's not like you couldn't of given up either." She grumbled in response.

Zel blinked, turning to Lina in surprise. For the first time since he'd known her, Lina had actually admitted that she was wrong...Sort of.

She caught his gaze and blushed in embarrassment, turning her head away. "W-What are you staring at?"

He smiled slightly, "Nothing."

Xelloss sat quietly off to the side, seemingly forgotten. A sourness filled him suddenly, aimed particularly at the chimera who was now filled with the sickening emotion of affection. Resisiting the urge to cringe, he instead decided to interrupt, "Excuse me you two, but shouldn't we be worrying about how to reach the king?"

Lina nodded, rising to her feet. "We should search this room first, there might be some sort of secret passage."

"Secret passage?"

"Yeah, evil castles like this always have them." Lina answered, running her hands along the stone walls for a hollow spot, or a button. Shifting her attention to the bookcase she searched through them, pulling them out slightly.

Xelloss watched her for a moment, before something just beside her caught his eye. "Lina-san, step to your left just a bit."

"Why?"

He raised his eyebrow at her, and she sighed in exasperation. "Fine, fine. I'll do it. But I don't think that-ah!" Jumping back with a yelp, she staring in shock at the bookcase that had just swung open to reveal a darkened passageway. Turning to give Xelloss an incredulous look, she stuttered, "How did you know that?"

"It's simple, that tile had a darker outline to it. Which means that it this king just recently had the previous one replaced. So what else could it have been?"

She frowned at him for a moment before shrugging. "Anyways...we'll leave Hiyo here and lock that door. She'll be fine as long as we've got the guards attention in the throne room."

Zelgadiss frowned at her before nodding, and following her down the steps into the unknown. Xelloss gave Hiyo a lasting look before doing so as well, knowing that something wasn't right about this 'little' girl.


	26. Stranger

**Disclaimer**

**nikka-chi:** Maybe I can own Lina-san...

**Lina: **Oh, hell no.

**nikka-chi: **Awwh, why not?

**Lina: **Because the infamous Lina Inverse doesn't belong to anyone! Haven't you seen my show?

**Zelgadiss:** _Your_ show?

**Lina: **Yeah, _my_ show. I'm always the first one to appear in the opening song.

**Zelgadiss:** Since when did that make you the owner?

**Lina: **Just shut up.

**nikka-chi: **Err, nevermind. On with they story! :D

* * *

"What is that smell?" Lina asked, scrunching her nose in disgust. The passageway proved to be a murky and damp place, obviously a previous sewer of sorts. The steps made strange noises and the lights flickered constantly, which didn't help the nervousness rising to her throat.

"I don't want to know." Zelgadiss answered, cringing as his hair pulled an abnormally large cobweb from one of the lantern posts.

Lina sighed, slouching as she trudged down the stone steps. They had only been walking for a couple of minutes and she was already bored, and not to mention hungry. How had she ever gotten into this stupid mess? It had all started as soon as she had found the lance, and she hadn't even touched it yet.

'Yet' was the keyword here. Things would get even worse when pretty soon, and she sure as hell wasn't looking forward to it. Why should she be? As soon as she had it in her hands, she was as good as dead.

"Lina-san, we should stop here." Xelloss cautioned, taking a sudden halt.

Lina stopped as well, cocking her head to him. "Why? We're right in the middle of this damn thing, there's no turning back now."

"Lina," Zelgadiss started, still trying to pry the cobweb from his hair, "I think he's right. Look."

She frowned, but did as he said, turning her head to squint into the dim light. A shadow stood a couple dozen feet away, it's darkened figure poised on one of the lower steps. Whoever it was didn't make any move towards them, or to retreat. "Who the hell is that?"

"I don't know, why don't we go down there and shake his hand?" Zel answered, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Well, excuse me Mr. smartass." Lina spat, rolling her eyes. Trying to focus she turned away again. "So what do we do? If we go back those guards will have us in a second, but if we go down who knows what this guy'll do."

"Lina-san, it's not like you couldn't take him." Xelloss put in, giving her a smile.

She thought about that for a moment before smiling smugly, crossing her arms in confidence. "Yeah...yeah you're right! I can take that punkass-hey! He's gone!" She blinked into the light, gawking at the vacancy that was once inhabited by the mysterious figure.

"That was certainly a short visit." Xelloss mused almost cheerily, starting down the stairs again.

Lina frowned at him, resising the urge to grab him by his neck and throw him down the stairs. He knew something, damn him, and he knew that she knew that he knew!

Sighing in self-defeat, she decided to let it go for now. Taking a second to calm down she started down the stairs with Zel just behind her, their shadows dancing in the dimmed lights.

It wasn't long before they hit solid ground...and a dead end. The stairs hadn't taken them anywhere! Just to a big circle-shaped tile platform! Where could that man have dissapeared to if it was a dead end? Damn.

Lina slammed her fist into the wall in frustration, revealing a sizeable crack once she removed it. "How could it be a dead end? There was a guy down here just five seconds ago!"

Xelloss ignored her, assessing the situation. The stairs had decended into a sphere-like platform of which there was no sign of an exit. There were lanterns outlining the walls, but besides that it was empty. It was blatantly obvious that this was not a dead end, it was only made to look that way.

"So what do we do now? Just blow up the wall and see where it takes us?"

Lina shook her head. "Nah, the walls would cave in."

"It's nice to see you back on your feet, Ms. Lina."

All heads turned to the stairway, on which the dark figure from earlier now stood with his cloak shadowing his face, but that didn't stop Lina from vaguely recognizing his voice. Still not sure of who he was, she turned to face him fully. "Can we help you?"

"No, but I can help you. Pull that lantern behind you, but blow it out first, you'll burn yourself."

Lina turned to follow his instructions, but took stopped to give him a cautious eye. "Why should we listen to you?"

"What other choice do you have, little girl?"

She frowned at his pet name, but figured that his reasoning was reasonable enough for her tastes, and did just as he said. His method proved to be sucessful for as soon as the lantern was pulled it was revealed that it was indeed a secret lever, and a part of the stone walls had opened to reveal another passage way.

"The west wing is through that passageway, follow the hall you enter into till you reach the huge double doors, that is where he is."

"How do you know we aren't just humble travelers?"

"It's best you aren't, for your purpose not only here in this little kingdom but for the rest of the world is great. I wish you luck Lina Inverse, you'll need whatever you can get."

Before any of them could blink he was gone, leaving them all to ponder on his wise words. Lina turned to Xelloss, her face in a frown of concentration. "I feel like we've met him before..."

"I think we have, Lina-san."

"Where?"

Xelloss only chuckled, ignoring her question and instead leading the way into the newly-discovered passageway.

"H-Hey, wait damn it! Tell me! You know who he is don't you?! Don't ignore me Xelloss! I'll kick your stupid mazoku ass!"

--


	27. Destiny

**Disclaimer**

**nikka-chi: **Alright, even if I don't own any of you all of you have to play nice since this is _my _story. Got it?

**Lina:** Like I'd listen to a pip squeak like you.

**nikka-chi: **Oh, so then you do want more lemony chapters Lina? That's a surprise, I didn't take you for that sort of girl.

**Lina: **'blushes' W-What?! No!

**nikka-chi: **Then be nice. T-T

**Lina:** Whatever you say! Just no more lemons!

**nikka-chi:** No more lemons? Ha! When did I say there wouldn't be anymore of them? :3

**Lina: **...

* * *

"Pretty fancy ain't it?" Lina asked in admiration, her mouth agape in amazement at the golden glory of the hall's golden columns and floors. "But why is this the only place in the palace we've seen that doesn't look like it's from a haunted house?"

"It means that that guy was right, and whoever is at the end of this hallway is the one we're looking for."

Lina didn't answer, too busy running the tips of her fingers over the gold-glazed walls as they walked slowly past. Xelloss took the lead, even his false face unreadable. He wasn't really ever the talkative type, but that stupid goofy smile on his face wasn't even there anymore. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Do you think Hiyo is alright?" Lina asked, attempting to probe some sort of social communication from him. Instead Zelgadiss answered, only accomplishing the easy task of pissing her off.

"What do you care? It was your idea to leave her there."

"Oh yeah, like you wouldn't be whining right now if you were still hauling her ass around everywhere."

He had nothing to say to that.

"Alright then." Lina concluded, taking charge yet again.

Although Zelgadiss had taken her mind off of Xelloss for that short time, her mind was right back there again. He was more of a curse than anything else, even when he wasn't talking she was annoyed at him. Or was it that she was worried about him?

_Oh hell..._

That was definitely not it. It couldn't be it. Oh god, please don't let that be it.

This had to be Hiyo's fault. After what she had said to her, what else would she think about? This is probably what she wanted to happen...like reverse psychology.

"Lina-san?"

A voice interrupted her thoughts, a voice she immediately recognized. Blinking she lifted her head up to realize that they had come to a stop at two enormous double doors, and that both Zel and Xelloss were giving her strange looks. "Are you ok Lina?" It was Zelgadiss this time, his brow creased with worry.

"Err, yeah. I'm fine, fine. What's wrong with you two?"

"Well, I thought that you might be worried about..."

"What? Oh, right. Of course not, I can take this guy no problem."

"You aren't even a little scared Lina-san? If you can't handle him with your normal magic then you'll have to use the spear."

"But if I can handle him, then I can take his spear away and combine it with mine. Everybody's happy."

"There still isn't any way I can convince you to leave, is there?" Zelgadiss questioned, his question serious but his voice soft.

"Afraid not."

"Guess there isn't any point arguing it anymore then. Ready?"

Lina laughed, stepping forward to stand before the doors, and performed a swift roundhouse kick. They burst open with a smack as the hit the walls on either sides, and Lina smirked. "Ready? I was born ready."

OoO

"Who dares enter my throne room unannounced?" A booming voice called, the speaker only a shadow seated atop his golden throne.

Lina stepped through the doorway and into the light, her sarcasm at the ready. "Pizza delivery."

"Guards! Seize them! They are the intruders!" He was standing now, his face visible in the bright sunlight through the glass above them. His hair was a deep gray, his eyes creased and wrinkled from old age, and there was an unusually large scar running down his face from his eyebrow to his chin.

The eyes that glared down at them were an astonishing blue, their aquatic depths making them impossible to miss against his fair complexion and dark hair. It was startling to see such an angry man with such beautiful eyes that were wrinkled from years of joyous laughter.

There was no joy in his face now, twisted into an unrelenting hatred of all things. Was this what she would look like sometime soon?

Raising her palm, she easily blasted off the dozen or so guards that came thundering out of nowhere with a practiced 'Fireball!'.

"Now your highness, this is no way to greet your guests." Lina taunted, examining her slightly charred glove.

"I will greet my 'guests' any way I please." The king retorted, his voice oozing arrogance.

"Cocky bastard, aren't you?" She responded, ending with a little laugh.

"What is it that you seek here, young sorceress?" Another voice sounded, his voice as smooth as it was menacing.

"I'm sure it's nothing you can give me." Lina answered, tilting her body the side a bit so that she could identify the new arrival.

The man stepped out from behind the throne, his face uplifted into an ironic little smile. His hair was long and brown, pulled back into a band at the back of his neck, only his bangs lay perfectly on his forehead. The clothes he wore suggested royalty, but he bore no resemblance to the king, and the guards all poised around the room made no move to bow their heads to him.

He was cute, yes, but annoying. The sides of his mouth were upturned in an ironic little smile, and his eyes laughed down at her as if she were some kind of peasant. Pfft, asshole.

"How cute. You're here to take the lance then, aren't you?"

"How did you know that?"

"I didn't. You just told me."

Lina opened her mouth to retort, but the man silenced her with his upraised hand, "Now Ms. Lina Inverse, what do you intend to do now that you're finally here? It's obvious that you are the one who retrieved the piece of the _Heilege Lance_ from the Kouyoko Mountains, and that you are here to put an end to the chaos that my humble leader has been causing, but just how do you intend to stop him?"

She opened her mouth again, only to be cut off for a second time. "Will you use your spear? Or will you stare into the face of what you will become and run away, scared of your own future?"

"I am _not_ scared." Lina countered, finally managing to get at least a couple of words in between.

"You aren't? Then go on, take it from him." He waved his hand nonchalantly towards the king, who lifted up the spear, as if teasing her. Lina rolled up her sleeves, her nostrils flaring and her eyes going wild. "Alright buddy, I think it's hightime you and your damn king get your asses kicked nice and hard."

Zelgadiss stepped forward to rest his hand on Lina's shoulder, finally cutting in. "Lina I think you should calm down for a second, these guys don't look like they're playing around."

"Do I look like _I'm_ playing around? No. So get your goddamn hands off me."

He did as she commanded, lifting his hands in a mock surrender. "Fine. Get yourself killed."

Xelloss chuckled, taking a backwards step before lifting himself into the air. He hovered for a moment before turning to teleport, but Lina's voice stopped him. "Running away, Xelloss?"

He half-turned his body towards her, his face upturned into a grin. Her back was still facing him, but her head was just barely shifted to the side enough so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. "Running away? Of course not. I'm merely going out for a walk, Lina-san." His voice was soft, but she didn't buy into it.

"Don't pussyfoot Xelloss, I know exactly what you're doing. So just leave, go on. Get the hell out. I can handle these dickweeds." Giving him an arrogant upturn of her nose she fully-turned her face away.

"Come now, Lina-san, I have orders not to interfere. I'd never leave you alone if it were of my own free will, but unfortunately it's not."

"Bullshit." She spat, still not bothering to give him even a backwards glance.

Xelloss chuckled, shrugging. "Believe what you want, but there is so much you just can't see Lina-san. I wish you luck!" Then he was gone, leaving Lina feeling a bit betrayed, and maybe even a little hurt. His words confused her, but her own feelings drove her even deeper into the bottomless pit of nothingness.

Stepping forward, she was pulled back by Zel's arm yet again. He was holding out the spear, and she gave him a startled look. "Xelloss really isn't that bad of a guy, afterall." He gave her a little smile and a shrug, and she found herself smiling too. "I'm really sorry about this, Zel."

"Yeah, I know. I'll try everything I can to get the spear back from you, Lina. I promise."

Just before her fingers wrapped themselves around the shaft of the spear, she whispered with what seemed to be her whole heart, "I know you will..."

--


	28. Puppet

**

* * *

******

Disclaimer

**nikka-chi: **Omg, I've almost written 30 chapters! Woah...:O I am so good.

**Xelloss: **I don't mean to interrupt, but aren't you supposed to be doing the disclaimer?

**nikka-chi: **Ah, right. Err, Gourry why don't you do it?

**Gourry: **But I'm not even in this story!

**nikka-chi: **That's ok Gourry. Do it anyways or I'll kill you :)

**Zelgadiss:** 'sigh' Since you idiots can't do this right, I guess I'm the one that has to do it.

**nikka-chi:** Would you Zelly-chan? That's so sweet of you! :3

**Zelgadiss:** nikka-chi does not own anything of The Slayers, and all copyrights go to its respectful owner and creator.

--

Zel stepped back, both mystified and a little scared, as a whirlwind started to encircle Lina's small body. Her hair whipped all around while her clothes flapped in the wind, she grasped the spear firmly trying to both control the power and keep her body under control.

Calming down the winds, she turned away from Zel, and faced the king and his apprentice. "What are you?"

She asked, her voice echoed by a much stronger, and deeper monotone. The man behind the king motioned for him to sit back down, and stepped forward. "What am I? That's not important at the moment, Ms. Lina. But you are keen for noticing that I am not a human."

"How did you know my name?"

"I know many things, Lina Inverse, many things."

"Interesting." Lina mused, still struggling to keep the flow of power intact, but not showing it.

Her eyes slowly traveling to the king, her eyes narrowed once they fell upon him. "I will take away your land and your half of the spear, and rule in your place as queen." She stated without smugness, taking one step forward and raising her lance chest high.

The king's eyes only widened for a second, before his lips curled upwards into a vicious snarl. "Xaldin, take care of this wench. I won't interfere until it is absoulutely neccesary." His gaze met hers before speaking again, and his words came out in a slow drawl. "Wouldn't want to get my hands dirty." Xaldin bowed his head. "Yes, my king.

Lina flinched, nearly losing control. Muttering a curse, she swung her lance forward, sending a lighting bolt flying toward the king. Xaldin suddenly materialized before it and sucked it into the palm of his hand. Giving the mute Lina a smile, he teleported to stand just before her. "Lina Inverse, you will die here."

Raising his arm, Lina watched as a blade began to morph out of his hand, black lighting coiling itself around the pointed tip. His arm cackled and blinked, the whole room seemed to shake with the lighting itself, and Lina's eyes lowered into slits. Whatever it was, it struck down, breaking through her barrier. Surprise caught her off guard for only a moment before she jumped back hastily, the spear increasing her agility as well as her reflexes.

Xaldin laughed, making another lunge, but his attack was parried by Zelgadiss's sword. "I'll stand in your place as his opponent, Lina, just get the other half of the spear!"

Hesitating, Lina sighed before nodding, and turned her head towards the king. He looked bored, his eyelids drooping in a careless manner, and she just had to smile at his obvious show of some serious balls. Teleporting into the air above him, she brought the spear down, causing an immediate explosion of the shield his own lance held.

Bellowing in pain as the shield reversed itself onto him, the king raised his own spear to shoot an immense amount of fire up at the sorceress. Dodging easily, Lina didn't have time to move again as a black lightning bolt came from the side. After recovering, she turned to see Xaldin with his foot crushing into Zelgadiss's torso, and his swordarm pointed towards her.

"Stay out of this, _mazoku_." She nearly growled.

"Not a chance, little priestess." Lina blinked, unconsciously letting her guard down for the moment. "Priestess?" Xaldin smirked, raising his eyebrows and shrugging innocently. Her face fell into a scowl, and she bit into her lip so hard blood trickled down. Xaldin only laughed obnoxiously. "You'll find out soon enough, but for the moment they're isn't any reason to tell you."

Assessing him for a moment, Lina took a deep breath. Putting both hands onto the spear, she slammed it into the ground. A purple light emitted from the floor, forming to make a strange symbol of what she supposed to be an alchemy sign. Chanting a spell that came naturally to her mind, she felt the lance grow larger until it became bigger than her own body. Near the middle, a violet stone glowed in the dim light of the now darkened castle. Opening her eyes as if for the first time, Lina noticed that she could see within the mazoku.

A slow smile started to form on her lips, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Now you're mine." In a purple blur, she flashed towards him and cut from his waist up, catching him off guard. He stumbled back with a growl, and looked up at her with such blinded hatred that if she hadn't had the spear, she'd have high tailed it out of there in a quick minute. "How...did you know where the"-'cough' Blood?-"stone? was?" He sputtered and fell to one knee.

Lina frowned, pausing. "Truthfully? I don't know how. But that isn't important." She strode to him slowly, taking her sweet time, taking great pleasure in the dramatic emphasis of her soft footsteps. Finally stopping before him, she swung her foot into the side of his head, sending him to the ground a few feet away. Coming to his groaning side again, she slammed her foot into his groin with great force. "What you said before...priestess? Is that supposed to mean something? Or is that just one of your sick little jokes?"

Xaldin gazed up at her for a moment before his eyes glazed over, and he started laughing. His laughter sounded strained-hysterical even-, and Lina removed her foot slowly. The realization took it's time coming, but when it hit it wasn't exactly a joy. This mazoku...was no mazoku afterall. He was a _puppet_, a trapped soul inside of a nearly empty shell. Was this the power of the infamous spear? Is this what she could do if she so desired? Would she ever...want to?

Now looking down into his sea green eyes, she saw not anger, but sorrow and pain. This man was once human, but was now forever cursed as a walking cold piece of flesh. How could she have missed it? He looked as if he hadn't eaten in ages, and she could see that there were red rims around his beautifully tragic eyes. If she had been her normal self, she would have cried for this man, but she could feel nothing. At the moment she felt just as empty as he, and she could feel nothing in her heart.

Reaching down, she laid a gentle hand on his icy cold chest. His eyes searched hers desperately, trying to find the meaning of her gesture and if she was the enemy. Giving him a smile, she lifted the spear to where his heart would be, giving him a questioning look. His smile was gentle as he nodded weakly, and she stuck it in, for some reason feeling as if she knew exactly what was happening. A green light grew from his chest first, then his body lit up like a giant glow stick. Still he smiled at her, and his lips whispered something to her, and she found herself grinning back as his body dissapeared slowly.

'_Thank you, great White Priestess.' _

--

blahh, this was a stupid chapter:P I didn't intend for it to end like this, but my next idea would be too long to make into a whole chapter:)


	29. Trust

**Disclaimer: **Don't own nothing! :D

* * *

"What have you done? That was my creation! You have no right, you stupid bitch!" The king's voice thundered behind her, and she spun on her heel. "He was your prisoner, and you had no right to put him through such pain."

"He was my most trusted companion-my brother." The king sneered as if Xaldin was a toy instead of his own flesh and blood.

Lina paused, feeling a strong itch to slap the life out of him. "Your...brother? Do you even realize what you did to him? Not only did you kill him slowly, but you forced him to be eternally loyal to someone so coniving as yourself. Not to mention you took full advantage of the fact that he was your brother."

He cackled menacingly. "And you see yourself as different from me?"

"I only want your land, and your blood upon my blade."

"For now that will satisfy you, but you'll see, it won't be enough. It'll _never_ be enough. Eventually your cravings will get worse, and no matter how hard you try...it will never go away. The urge to kill, to torture, to inhale the suffering around you. It will become inevitable to even the most holy of priests, and so you too will become like me-lost in your own bloodlust."

Lina glared, not sure what to say. A part of her was terrified of this future, but the other half was screaming in pleasure at just the thought of all the blood to be spilled all around her. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that this was only the spear talking she still couldn't help but doubt even herself. Maybe this wasn't just the power of the lance, maybe all of her noble acts of justice were all just a facade. All those bandits she had been killing, all that treasure she'd stolen, all those shops fried to a crisp.

'Am I a monster?'

_'Do you _really_ need to ask?' _A second voice echoed in the back of her head, one that was smooth and all too familiar.

'...Xelloss?'

_'Hello, Lina-san.' _She could just picture his innocent grin.

'Why the hell are you talking in my head?'

His soft chuckle filled her mind, almost warming her heart. _'Why, Lina-san, can't you tell? Now that you're holding the spear, I can speak to you through it. Of course I can only do this because I'm a _mazoku_.'_

'Oh, well what do you want?'

There was a short pause, and then Xelloss's voice floated once again through her conscience like a soft breeze. _'Lina-san, you can't lose yourself to this. You aren't a monster, and I think I would know.'_

Lina didn't even realize that she had been gritting her teeth. 'What do you care what I am? I'm just your little toy.'

_'This isn't the time to get emotional, Lina-san, remember that everyone is depending on you. Do you really want your friends to die?'_

'No...I don't think I could ever want that.' Even in her mind she sounded unconvincing, and that in an of itself made her want to hide in the darkest corner of the world.

_'Then just think about them, and whether or not they think you're a monster. You know they don't Lina-san; no one does.'_

'Is there some sort of importance in this conversation? I'm busy.'

He sighed deeply before answering. _'Ah, yes, of course. I just wanted to inform you that there is someone else with you in there. Whoever it is appears to be very powerful, but only from the outside could I sense his presence, which means he wants to be hidden for the moment.'_

'Whose side is he on?'

_'I hate to say this, but I really don't know. Just be aware Lina-san, and keep your guard up. He is watching you from the shadows. Good luck!'_

'Ah, wait!'

Silence.

'Xelloss?'

More silence.

'Damn.'

Opening her eyes, Lina recollected herself. The king was giving her a wary eye, watching her like a hawk. It was obvious that he was very suspicious of whatever she had just done, and he should be.

Taking a deep inhale, she felt her face relax along with the rest of her body. Lowering her spear she let her thoughts focus on reversing everything, and she concentrated her whole body on bringing light into this curse. Taking a few steps forward, she could smell the fear oozing off the king's pale body, and yet he stayed glued to that very spot with his eyes wide. A small reassuring smile tugged at her lips, and she imagined her old companions voices speaking to her heart.

Amelia, telling her that she had always known that Lina had it in her to be quite the justice seeker.

Zelgadiss, convincing her that she had never killed a bandit who didn't deserve to have their ass kicked.

Sylphiel, smiling warmly and softly assuring her that Lina always had everyone's best interest at heart no matter what happened.

Gourry, giving her a goofy grin and telling her proudly that he would never have protected her if he thought she was evil.

Even Xelloss, bragging about his status as a _real_ monster and that Lina would never handle being told what to do all the time by anyone but herself.

If possible, the man's eyes grew even wider as a single shiny tear slid down Lina's cheek. Reaching up to touch it in disbelief, she wiped it away with embarrassed haste. Finally lifting her gaze to the king's, she realized that he was crying as well. "I can...finally cry. But how?" He gave her a hopeful look as if expecting her to have the answer. She looked down at her spear, and decided that this was as good a time as any to try it out. Giving the king an uneasy glance she willed herself to unclutch her fingers, and to her surprise, the lance slid from her hand to the ground with a loud clank.

"Oh hell yeah!" She smiled widely, shooting her fist into the air before lowering it to shove it to point a finger into the king's face. "Hah! Now what, you old geezer? Bloodlust my ass!" She reached down to yank his spear away from him to throw it on the ground, and started stomping on it. Feeling very much like herself, she laughed a haughty laugh. "Bahahahahaha!"

The king gave her an appalled look before shaking his head and giving her an amused grin. "You really are something, Priestess."

"Oh, god, not that stupid Priestess stuff again. I kill bandits, old man. The whole purify thing just doesn't go well with me." She waved her hand nonchalantly for emphasis.

He nodded his understanding before letting his gaze drop to the floor, and his brow creased into a frown. "What will you do now that you have two pieces of the spear?"

Lina let her gaze lower as well as if seeing them for the first time. "I don't really know. Maybe I'll find the other pieces? After all, dumbassess like you shouldn't have so much power to fling around." Her smile was rueful.

It took the king a second to realize that Lina was being funny, and he laughed. "I suppose so."

Lina snapped her fingers all of a sudden, suddenly remembering. "Oh, yeah! You're son. You do know he's been hospitalized, don't you?"

The king gave her a surprised look and answered slowly. "No, I didn't know. I don't remember hurting him."

"Did you hire anyone to do it?"

The king paused to think, but shook his head. "No...I don't think so. Where is he hospitalized?"

"Some city out west of here, that's where I came from just before I found out about you."

"I'll order a carriage to take me to him immediately." He started to turn away from her, but stopped to take her hand between both of his. "Thank you very much, young sorceress." He gave her a heartfelt smile and left the room in a hurry.

Lina shook her head, and suddenly realized that Zel was still hurt. Turning to rush to his side, she felt his neck for a heartbeat. Luckily, under his stony skin, there was a very strong thump. He was just unconscious, maybe even with a concussion. Nothing too serious. Dragging his body up her back, she wrapped his arms around her neck after picking up the lance that had somehow merged together. Tugging him along she made it to the exit, and was surprised to see that the people of Nara weren't...well...dead.

The people around her looked unharmed, baffled, but unharmed. The smiles that now graced their faces lit the atmosphere like a giant Christmas tree, and Lina felt her own spirits rising without any reason as to why. Mostly there were people fussing over children and guards rushing people into the nearest hospital to be checked on.

In the distance, she saw a skinny figure waving its arms franticly at her. As the person approached, Lina smiled to herself as she recognized that it was Hiyo. "Oh, Ms. Lina! Thank goodness you're alright! Is that...Mr. Zelgadiss?! Oh dear. Hand him here, I'll bring him to my daddy." She smiled and took the rocky burden off Lina's shoulders before dragging him away. Lina almost reached out her hand to question why Hiyo's father was here, but figured that it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Made it out quite nicely then, Lina-san?" A voice that held a somehow comforting sound to it. Turning swiftly, Lina turned to realize that it was Xelloss, and despite herself she smiled brighter then she ever recalled towards him.

"I guess so, but some weird things have happened." She took the now whole spear and handed it to him as proof. "You keep it for now, I don't want to go through that again." Xelloss raised his eyebrow at her before nodding and settling them into the back of his cloak.

She looked around at all the people, who were now fresh faced and no longer bloodied. "Xelloss who did all this? How are they all healed?"

"Why, it was Hiyo and her father, Sano-san, of course. They _are_ users of white magic Lina-san."

"Still ripe with assholeness, aren't you?"

Xelloss only grinned and shrugged, not bothering to deny it.

"Anyways, how did Hiyo get out before me?"

"I imagine she awoke on her own, and escaped through a window."

She gave him an accusing look. "You helped her, didn't you?"

"Now, why would I do that? She reminds me far too much of Amelia-san for me to go anywhere near the happy little tart." He shivered, his face twisting into a temporary frown.

"Xelloss, Hiyo isn't smart enough to know that sort of thing. Someone had to have helped her out." Lina was impatient now, knowing for sure that Hiyo was a tad too dense to be able to make such a professional decision. If she really had awoken alone, she would have burst through the doors screaming her head off, and then had a triple panic attack at the sight of Lina holding the spear. What a revolting image.

Xelloss chuckled, and tapped Lina on the nose with the tip of his staff. "Appearances can be very deceiving Lina-san, I thought you would have known that by now."

"With you here, how the hell can I not?" She huffed and tilted her nose a bit higher.

"Ah, how sweet of you."

OoO

"Wow, look at all this food!" Lina exclaimed, rubbing her lower tummy in excitement. "Thanks, Xelloss!"

Xelloss smiled at her over the brim of his teacup. "No problem, Lina-san. It's been a rough day on you." She gave him a weary look before shrugging, and started on the main course.

They were sitting together in Lina's room, where Xelloss had requested entrance after declaring a feast in Lina's honor. Of course he knew that if he hadn't mentioned food she'd have never let him set foot in her room without teleportation. It was pretty easy to get on Lina's good side, but it was much more amusing to see her angry. This was one of those rare occasions where Xelloss decided to see just how far his kindness could get him. Lina wasn't stupid, though. No matter how much food he stuffed into her she still had a sharp mind, and would start to question him.

For now, she was completely involved in devouring her meal. Xelloss merely sipped his tea, watching as her fiery hair glistened in the fire's glow behind her. There were many things he admired about Lina, but there were also things he couldn't explain why he liked them about her. She was a human, for starters, but a smart one. Her spirit is strong, and her power is impressive even from his point of view. Not to mention he was one of the only humans he'd ever met that didn't blabber on about happy and positive things all the time. In fact, it was very rare for Lina to ever have any kind of positive emotion-other then when she was eating.

Maybe that was what he liked most about her. To humans, her moody attitude and quick-temper was annoying, but to him it was exciting and intriguing. He never seemed to be bored around Lina-san, and had to admit that he liked her company more than any human he'd ever come into contact with. There was another trait that he found very interesting; she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. Of course, she knew of his power and acknoweded it willingly, but she had never shrank in the wake of his power and seemed to have a sort of trustworthy deeming for him.

That was the interesting bit. She had said that once out loud that she trusted him, but maybe he had lost that trust long ago. With Lina-san, anything was possible. That was what was so fun about her!

Lina caught his stare, and reached for her wine glass to swallow down her last bite of food. "Do I have something on my face?" She asked after they exchanged stares for what seemed like hours. "Yes, actually, you do." Lina seemed puzzled for a moment, but shrugged in conclusion that Xelloss was just teasing her. Until she saw that smile, _that_ smile.

He leaned across the table to give the corner of her mouth a swift lick, startling her into a momentary silence. But it was only momentary. "What the hell was that, you pervert!?" Her face had turned bright pink, and her anger was obviously meant to steer him away from the fact that she was thoroughly embarrassed.

Xelloss only shrugged. "It looked tasty."

Lina scrunched her brow into a frown. "But you don't really like food."

"When did I mention food?" The bright pink turned to a deep red as his words registered, and she stammered for a snappy retort. "Um...err-I mean-"

"Finished? Good." He cut her off with a bright smile, scooping up her empty plates with one hand in one swift motion. Her mouth hung open in baffled stupor, and she quickly snapped it shut. "I'll just be a moment." He reassured her before disappearing, and true to his word he was back in almost a flash with his hands ridden of the creamy white plates.

"Thanks..." She muttered lamely, now unable to bring herself to look him in the eye. Xelloss had always managed to bring her down to her lowest whenever they were alone, and she never really understood why. Most of it was his usual spontaneous suggestive comments, and that dangerous smile that would light up his face and darken it all at once. Lina didn't know exactly what he wanted from her, and sometimes it just frustrated her that he was the type to beat around the bush till the damn thing had no more branches to beat.

She could feel his eyes on her, even when his mask was in place she could feel them, burning their own special imprint onto her delicate skin. An invisible marking, a means of claiming her in a way that shook her to the core. Daring to look his way, she saw that his face was indeed focused onto her, and his eyes slit open with a boldness. His eyes dared her own to hold his gaze, to be trapped within the amethyst depths with no sign of return.

Feeling anxious suddenly, she rose out of her chair so fast it almost toppled over in her wake. Blanching, she hurried to the window, turning her back to him so that she could brace her hip against the window sill. Maybe if she ignored him, he would leave on his own. Ha! Fat chance.

As if on cue, Xelloss was magically behind her, his hands snaking around her body while his fingers traced a trail from her shoulders to her fingers where he entwined them firmly. His mouth was at her ear, and her head had fallen backwards into the crook of his neck with surprising ease. There it was again, that instant spark that lit up whenever he was near. But just being around him wasn't enough to ignite the fire, it was the way he touched her that caused the friction of that spark to explode into a ball of furious passion.

Blushing, she snapped her head up, shoving his hands away while shrugging out of his hold. "You should go..." She whispered meekly, afraid to look at him.

For a second, she couldn't even hear him breathing, and it was as if the whole world had stopped moving. But then his breath was at her neck, causing the tiny hairs to stand on end with a less then comfortable intimacy. "Why?" His voice was in her ear, draining all her self respect and in its place came a heated desire. "...Why? Why what?"

His low chuckle sent a shiver up her spine, and her mind became a gray fog. "Lina-san." He murmured into her neck, his right hand curving around her stomach to hook her into place against his abdomen, while his left hand reached up to take her chin gently between his fingers. Guiding her head back, his eyes met hers with a gleam as the pale moonlight shone into his violet pupils.

Lina became dazed as she felt her eyelids lazily droop, and her gaze dropped to his lips and then slid slowly back to his eyes. They seemed to sink into her mind, enter her very soul, trying to snake his way into her heart. Throwing all caution to the wind, she felt her own body shift backward as their lips met.

Xelloss's hand slid from her chin to her hair, closing his hands into it firmly, but gentle enough to let her know that she wasn't trapped. Her body warmed excitedly, despite the fact that Xelloss was as cold as ice, his body barren of a heart. She felt happy, content even, as she twisted in his grasp to face him fully.

The kiss deepened at the new access of angles, and she didn't think twice about the repercussions, or even what her real feelings for this monster were.

_'"But Ms. Lina he has to be doing it because he cares about you."_

_"Hiyo, _mazoku_ aren't the type to care about anyone but themselves and their master. Those kind of positive emotions hurt them, so they just don't bother feeling them."_

_"I think you're scared."_

_"Huh? Me? Scared? Of what?"_

_"Of getting hurt. You've been hurt before, haven't you?"'_

Lina's eyes flew open, and an increasing feeling of fear crept into her belly. Pushing him away with more force then she had intended, she watched as stumbled back with a strange look on his face. "What's the matter, Lina-san?" His voice sounded strangled, maybe even a little wounded.

"I...I don't know." She looked to the floor with shame, feeling the pity tears well in her eyes and burn the back of her throat. "Why, damn it? Why can't I just keep pushing you away? I don't need you! So...why do I feel so torn at the thought of you not being here?" Her head rose to reveal the stream of shining tears down her pale face.

Xelloss's face was empty, all emotions wiped from him completely. Not even his mask held any sort of feeling, and he looked more like stone as the moonlight made his skin seem gray and stony. Lina held a hand to her mouth as a sob escaped her body, and she turned away from him once again.

"Lina-san, I don't think you've let go."

She sniffled. "Let go of what?"

"Gourry-san."

There was a long, dreaded silence that filled the room.

Xelloss watched the back of her head, feeling a strange hatred for the blonde swordsman that still haunted Lina. No matter how many times he tried, he still knew that he was just another version of Gourry in her mind. Although the details weren't known, he knew that the boy had hurt Lina-san more deeply then anyone knew, and for some reason a pang of regret rang through him as his plans ran through his mind.

But why should he feel bad?

He shouldn't, but he did.

"Lina-san...let me be there for you." His own words shocked him more then it did her, but he knew that everything he said from now to the end would just be pretty nothings. Her shoulders stopped shaking from the tears, and she let her head rise so that her eyes could meet his. She let her eyes scrutinize him for a long, long time as if trying to read his complicated mind.

He stepped forward to envelope her into a tight embrace, one that held no passion, nor hatred, just pure and untainted love.

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This one got too long, the lemon will have to wait till next chapter:D


	30. Love

**Disclaimer: **Don't own nothing! :D

LEMON ALERT! This is not for anyone who isn't old enough to read explicit, suggestive, or smexy content. Although I myself am not even old enough to watch an 'R' rated movie, I am still by all means a very perverted 9th grader:p (although I look at myself as 'deviate') So if you don't like this sort of stuff, then get your ass off this page! smank you:)

:o everyone get the beer and wine coolers, panda-chan is going to read my lemon! :00000000 oh hells yeah:D bout time she got a little action, we all know big sis needs it;)

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"Is this a lie, too?" Lina's now meek voice was muffled by the pressure of Xelloss's chest, but her words were crystal clear in his mind. For a split second, the overwhelming urge to tell her the truth pulled at his non-existent conscience, but that wouldn't be tolerated. ...By anyone. And wouldn't it only send her running? That wouldn't do. "No Lina-san, I don't want to hurt you anymore." His hand stroked the back of her head tenderly, and he felt as if he really did mean those words. So in a way, it wasn't exactly a lie.

Trying to hold back the tears, Lina balled her hands into fists in his shirt. Feeling somehow comforted by his words, she felt a smile begin to grow. But it soon sank into a frown, and she sucked the inside of her cheek. "Y-you do know that I'll never forget him, don't you?" She asked hesitantly, biting her lip in anxiety at his awaited answer. For some reason she had this suspicion that he would immediately through her away from him, and give her that horrible look of hated she had only seen on the rarest of rare occasions-never directed at her.

Her eyes widened as she felt his hand slide to her shoulders, and push her gently away from him. Knowing in her heart that he was going to reject her, she felt a new wave of tears well in the back of her throat. But instead of giving her a look filled with anger, it was filled with amusement...and..._love_? "Of course I know that Lina-san, no one forgets their first love." His voice was gentle as his finger reached up to wipe a stray tear sliding down her cheek. "There is no such thing as getting over such a strong love as you had for him, but you deserve a chance to love, and be loved in return."

She searched his eyes for a moment, wondering if she should let herself be pulled into his massive web of what she once thought to be lies. Could he be right? Putting her hands onto his shoulders, she rose onto tippy toes and melded their lips together. She lingered there for only a bit before lowering herself, a smile playing on her lips. "Are you offering?" Her voice was playful, but the meaning behind them and his answer meant the world.

Xelloss chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "If I am?"

"Then I'd do this." Their lips met again, but this time Lina took control...for the moment. Xelloss thought with a grin, vastly enjoying the pull of his neck as her hand curled into his hair. Kissing her back with a renewed passion, he had somehow backed her into the small space between the dresser and the bed. His icy cold hands slid into the back of her shirt, sending tons of pleasurable shivers up her spine.

Moaning into his mouth, she bit his lip approvingly as his fingers intimately massaged the fragile bones trailing down her back. Briefly breaking their kiss, she reached down to pull her shirt up and off, making Xelloss smile wickedly. Not giving him any chances to spout off some irritatingly time-consuming comment, she crushed her lips to his again with a wild passion.

Exploring her mouth with his daring tongue, Xelloss stepped his right leg forward to cage her between himself and the wall dominantly. Lina was too lost in her own pleasure to notice, and snaked her fingers up Xelloss's chest to slip his cape off with a soft _swoosh_. Smiling greedily against his lips, she groaned as he broke the kiss abruptly, but moaned aloud as the heated feel of his tongue against the tender spot under her ear made her melt with wantonness.

Nibbling his way into her self control, Xelloss reached around to unclasp her flimsy bra with one swift motion, causing an abrupt gasp as the soft caress of the night air invaded her skin. Unable to hold back a triumphant grin, he glided his palm from her thigh all the way up to her breast, using his fingers to massage them carefully. At her whimper, he took it into his hand fully, his mouth still working its magic on the upper skin of her ear.

As his hand squeezed firmly, but tenderly, Lina let out another yelp followed by a drawn out moan. Despite the icy coldness of his fingers, her body was on fire, steam practically oozing off of her skin. This felt right, this felt happy, this felt really..._good_. Oh, gods, it felt damned good. Her eyes were closed with over-whelming pleasure, and her body squirmed against his while her breath came in strangled pants.

Taking another step ahead, Xelloss made use of his task-deprived hand and moved it downwards towards her most aching part. Quickly undoing the buttons of her slacks, his hand took full advantage and sank beneath her panties to cup her boldly. Her eyes flying open, Lina bit her lip to suppress the very loud moan that begged to escape her lips.

That being his 'go sign', Xelloss slid one naughty finger through, and Lina's hands clutched his upper arms demandingly. Using a second finger he rubbed her tender clit just enough so that her hips bucked in a very unladylike fashion. The hand on her breast pressed just a tinsy bit harder and he meshed their lips together eagerly, pumping his fingers in a tantalizing rhythm that made Lina want to kill him, and kiss at the same time.

Check on that last one.

Her mouth opened into a silent scream and her head thumped backwards into the wall, her body shaking as a rippling orgasm ran through her. Finally lifting up his head, Xelloss watched Lina's flushed face as she panted softly with her eyelids shut tightly. Sensing his gaze, she lifted her eyes to his, and smiled a bright and uncharacteristic smile. Suddenly turning her attention downwards, she frowned. "You're wearing too many clothes." She stated simply, with a tone she tried to pass off as sagely.

Xelloss looked down to his shirt as well, grinning. "So I am." Lina grinned along with him mischievously, reaching down to yank off his shirt eagerly and without shame. Going right along, Xelloss lifted his arms at her annoyed grunt and raise of her eyebrows. Once she had tugged it off, she placed her hands firmly onto his pale, yet toned, chest.

Exploring the curves of his newly exposed skin, Lina amazed even herself at how curious she was off the first male body she had ever had nearly full access to. His low chuckle made her rise her eyes to meet his amused gaze, and she blushed a bright red. She opened her mouth to excuse herself, but he shook his head and hushed her with a finger.

"I understand Lina-san," He bent down his head to place his lips just next to her ear. "And I'm honored to be your first." She laughed, the sound for the first time to him sounding musical and it warmed a part of him he never knew he had. "You damn well better be." She mumbled as he lifted his head so that she could become lost in his kisses for the umpteenth time.

Somehow they found themselves on the bed, Xelloss perched atop Lina-san's writhing body against the cool sheets. Their tongues and limbs entwined together almost as if they were one, completing each other in a way that neither of them could ever want, but deep down they know they need with a desperation.

"Lina-san, are you ready?" Xelloss breathed into her ear, his voice rough and nearly a grunt. Not bothering to think about it, Lina bobbed her head up and down in a nervous nod with her eyes closed tight. He slowly lifted his head from her neck, and took her chin between his forefinger and thumb, causing her eyes to open hesitantly.

"Are you sure? There is no such thing as a second first time Lina-san, I don't want you to regret tonight." He searched her gaze for any signs of panic, or fear, but he only saw that they were softening in the most adoring way. "I'll never regret it, I promise. Now hurry up, I'm not a very patient woman." She smiled ruefully, sliding her free hand into his hair to yank down his head for one last kiss before they began.

Biting his lip before allowing him to lift himself off of her, Lina shifted slightly as he rose from the bed to rid himself of his pants and his shoes. Lina watched him with shy eyes, curious yet bashful at her first view of the full male body-human, or _mazoku_. It didn't matter which it was, it was still her first time, and she would keep true to her word and treasure this night no matter what happened afterwards.

Climbing back onto the bed, Xelloss lowered himself to slid off Lina's slacks and, with her permission, her panties as well. Taking in her delicate naked beauty, Xelloss couldn't help but smile to himself at just how beautiful Lina-san really was. To most _mazoku_, humans' naked bodies were all the same, but to him hers would be the most meaningful one he'd ever had the pleasure of seeing.

"Xelloss..." Lina whined in embarrassment, her face turning a deep scarlet in the orange fire light.

Xelloss chuckled knowingly, bracing his hands on either side of her fiery red head and staring deep down into her amber eyes. Returning his gaze, she smiled softly, nodding her acceptance. Moving his hand a little to the left, he took her hand in his and his face grew serious, bur caring. "It will hurt, but just for a bit Lina-san, I promise."

For a moment her eyes grew wide, but they softened visibly and a grin spread all across her face. "I trust you, Xelloss."

Leaning down to give her a fatherly kiss on the nose, Xelloss returned her smile.

Lina's hand tightened impulsively as Xelloss guided himself in, slowly, oh so slowly. She winced slightly at the unexpected pang of hurt, and resisted the urge to cry out in pain. He watched her face fill with thousands of emotions, and felt them with unwanted ease, and for the first time regretted the ability to absorb human emotions.

Taking it slowly, he waited for her to stop squirming, and fully inserted himself within her warm depths. A long, drown out moan/sigh escaped her lips as she felt herself being stretch in a way she never imagined possible. She still throbbed, and ached, but it was worth it because of the beautiful feeling of pleasure that ran through her senses with every stroke of him within her.

Instinctively she lifted her hips to meet his, feeling herself become lost in the mixture of emotions and feelings, she bit her lip as she felt her tender folds open even further as they both neared their climax. It made her want to cry, but she didn't dare to cry in such a cliche' moment. She remembered a vague memory of her mother telling her and her sister of the night of their parents' wedding night.

She explained that the immense joy to have given herself to her one, and only, true love made her so full of happiness that tears of contentment were flowing down her cheeks before she even knew what was happening. At first, their father had become terrified, begging their mother's forgiveness for hurting her in such an unforgivable way. But she had waved him off with a laugh, and after explaining, they laughed together at one of the most memorable moments in their long lives together as husband and wife.

Lina hadn't understood then, and shrugged off the mushy story with a grunt, thinking that it was just what mothers did. Now, she felt as if she knew exactly what her mother had been saying, and somehow regretted ever doubting that such a thing could occur in a life like hers.

Xelloss watched Lina beneath him, watching as she moaned and grinded against him in a more intimate way then he ever thought he'd see her act-especially towards him of all people. Unable to resist, he crushed his lips down onto hers with an unknown source of over-bearing lust and probed and invaded her mouth with a dominance she'd have normally rejected.

Momentarily surprised at Xelloss's outburst, Lina soon eagerly returned it with just as much feverish passion as he, and with one final stroke they were toppled over the edge of self control and climaxed in each others arms. Breaking their kiss, Xelloss searched Lina's dazed eyes for any signs of remorse, but she only smiled lazily. "That was...amazing."

After a moment of giving her a surprised stare, Xelloss chuckled, lowering himself to snuggle into the crook of her neck. Laying himself behind her spooning-style, and smiled against her hair. "Indeed it was Lina-san, indeed it was."

They drifted asleep together, exhausted from their night of naughtiness.

OoO

_"Lina..." His voice called, making her heart skip another beat, bringing heat to her cheeks. "Lina, I love you." _

_His face was shadowed, but his voice was familiar. "Who are you?" Lina whispered, welcoming his warm embraced as his arms took her tiny body into their safe haven. His hand stroked her hair, and tenderly brushed a stray curl behind her ear. "I love you..." He murmured again, lifting her chin upwards so that he could place a soft kiss to her lips._

_"I...I don't know you." Lina stammered, feeling over-powered by this mysterious man's hold over her self control. "But you love me." He insisted, his voice never faltering with insecurity. "Who _are _you?" She tried again as his lips went to her neck, nearly knocking her feet out from under her. But his arm swooped around her waist, holding her up firmly._

_"You have to know who I am, because I love you." _

_"But I don't know who you are!" Her voice was panicked now, and she felt herself become frantic to know who this self-proclaimed lover was.  
_

"Lina-san!" Is that your voice? Are you going to tell me who you are?

"Liiiiiiiina-saaaaan." Slowly opening her eyes, Lina realized that it was Xelloss who was calling to her...and that she had only been having a weird dream.

"Xelloss?" She gurgled sleepily, her eyes only opened to slits as she struggled to regain full consciousness. Vaguely, she felt his hand stroking her cheek tenderly. "Yes, Lina-san, it's me. You were having a bad dream." Her eyes were open now, and before she could stop herself, she looked down at their naked-and still entwined-bodies.

Blushing for no apparent reason, she turned her head, resisting the urge to cry out in embarrassment. Xelloss only chuckled and pulled her body even closer to his, nibbling on her shoulder. "Sleep alright?" He purred, ignited the fire that at first resisted to be anything but dampened. "Mmmhmm." She couldn't help but crane her neck back so that she could smile at him.

"Thanks." She murmured as she snuggled her nose into the nape of his neck.

If things continued like this, she'd have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when they went down for breakfast.

Damn.

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Ok, so I am just to assume that Lina wears a bra and panties, alright? So sue me if I'm wrong! I hope you enjoyed, you perverts you, and come back supa soon for the next chap! :D

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	31. Sano

**Disclaimer: **Don't own nothing! :D

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Lowering his newspaper, Zelgadiss turned his head to Hiyo. They were seated across from each other in the small cafe across the street from the hotel, and it had been about 13 hours since he'd last seen anyone besides the perky little Hiyo. "Hey, do you know what happened to Lina and Xelloss? They both disappeared right after we booked our hotel rooms last night."

Hiyo smiled sagely, and shrugged, feigning ignorance when in reality she knew what had gone down in the heat of the night. She had spotted Xelloss entering Lina's room, and just the fact that Lina had let him in willingly was a sure sign that her hunch was right on the mark.

"Hmm..." Zelgadiss murmured, giving Hiyo's dazed face a scrutinized stare, but waved it off and continued flipping through his newspaper and sipping his black coffee.

OoO

"Xelloss, what do you think they'll say if they find out?"

Xelloss propped himself on his elbow, watching Lina sift through all of the discarded clothes from the night before, and raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, 'If'?" She stopped, and gave him a 'duh' look. "Well, yeah. I would rather die then actually tell everyone that we...err..."

"Had sex?"

She waved her hand, as if excusing it. "Yes that. Anyways, they can't know. I mean, it's _us_."

His blank stare made her throw her hands up in exasperation, which looked very odd in her current state of nudeness. "Xelloss, don't play stupid. I'm supposed to hate you, and just look! You're naked in my bed." Her voice had fallen flat on the last sentence.

A wolfish grin appeared on the priest's face. "And _do_ you hate me, Lina-san? I don't recall any say-so last night..."

Her face reddened as his voice trailed off, and she turned away quickly, only to yelp in pain. She was so sore from last night, and damn it everytime she made any sudden movement it felt like someone had socked her one right where it would really _hurt_. Stupid priest. Stupid bed. Stupid sex. Arrrggghh!

"Are you alright Lina-san?" The distinct sound of the bed straightening as he lifted himself off, made Lina swoosh back around, biting her lip to keep from crying out again. "N-No, I'm fine. I just don't fell normal." Her gaze sank to the floor, where she tried desperately to keep from looking at his naked splendor.

"Well of course you don't. I know what's wrong Lina-san, I'm not an idiot." The huskiness in his voice brought her gaze to his, and she instantly felt sheepish under his eyes. Stepping forward to give her a soft kiss on the lips, Xelloss broke away to head for the washroom. "I'll run a bath, and we can have one together."

He turned his head to smile at her, and then the door shut with a resounding _thud_. Before Lina knew it, she was on the floor laughing, still imagining Xelloss's smile...and his naked ass.

OoO

"Morning everyone!" Lina chirped, bringing everyone's head up instantly. "Good morning, Ms. Lina." Hiyo bowed her head respectfully, and then turned to Xelloss. "You too, Mr. Xelloss."

Nodding his greeting, Xelloss grinned. After they were all settled around the table, Zelgadiss turned his attentiont to Lina. "So, Lina, where were you last night? I haven't seen you since you dissapeared in the middle of the gathering that was held in your honor."

Lina grimaced at the memory, and couldn't stifile a groan as she told her story. "These greateful little chits just wouldn't leave me alone! Everywhere I went people were bowing their heads, or shoving presents into my hands, but it was the food that was offered that kept me there for as long as I did." She ended with a shrug, as if it was completely normal.

Zelgadiss couldn't resist grinning, but still persisted. "What about after that? You weren't at dinner."

Lina opened her mouth to reply, but Xelloss, that dirty bastard, decided that he should do it for her. "I brought her dinner up to her room, and we talked for most of the night." Whilst Hiyo and Zelgadiss exchanged baffled glances, Xelloss turned his head to give Lina a devilish smile before wiping it clean from his face.

"Really?" Zel mused, giving the priest an unmistakable death glare. "And why would you do that?"

Xelloss put his hand to his chest, looking hurt. "I can't be nice to my long-time companion? It's not like I'm _always_ evil, Zelgadiss-san. Don't be silly."

Before Zelgadiss could strangle him, Hiyo quickly intervened. "Eh, so! So...what did you and Mr. Xelloss talk about, Ms. Lina?"

Her eyes widening, Lina turned to Xelloss for help, but the devil chose now of all times to simply shrug. "Err...we talked about...the spear. Yeah, that's it, we talked about the spear. He was just curious about what happened while I was inside the castle." She forced a smile, hoping to the Gods that it didn't sound as pathetic as it really was.

Zelgadiss turned a scrutinized eye to Xelloss, as if to confirm her story, and Xelloss smiled and shrugged yet again. Stupid _mazoku_.

"Riiiiiiight. Anyway, this is getting ugly. We have two pieces of the spear now, and there are god knows how many left out there. I think we should go after them all before we even _think_ about going into this war."

Lina rolled her eyes. "Zel, do you realize how long that would take? The war won't wait for us."

"Exactly. We don't know really know how long it will take, and considering how fast we got this one it looks like it will be easier then we first thought."

Hiyo frowned, holding her hand in the air. "What if it's not just a human this time with a piece of the spear? It could be in the hands of a demon, or a dragon." Her gaze swiveled to Xelloss. "Or a _mazoku_." Her tone had lowered, and her eyes had become suggestive.

Xelloss assessed her for a moment, before grinning evily. "You could be right, Hiyo-san."

Lina frowned, her gaze darting between them. "Ok, well let's just think about this seriously. We don't know how many more pieces are out there, we don't know when the war will start, and we don't know how easy it will be to take back the rest of the spear. The ryuzoku have already replaced Gav, too. So what's the plan?"

A silence fell upon them, and they all sighed in unison.

"Your orders?" A perky voice interrupted them, and they all looked up to see a cheery teenaged waitress with a notepad in her left hand, and a sparkly purple pen in the other.

Taking refuge in the interruption, everyone but Xelloss-who politely requested non-sweetened tea-ordered a hefty morning meal. Once the girl left, the silence returned with a vengeance.

"Are we really prepared to do something this stupid?" Lina asked to everyone, but directed it at no one.

"God, Lina, I just don't know." Zelgadiss replied in a less then confident tone, laying his head into his hands.

Hiyo pursed her lips, turning her worried gaze to each face with uncertainty. "Ms. Lina...I believe in you. I think that you can do it, and you'll do it with every good intention in your heart. I just know it."

"Hiyo..." Lina uttered in astonishment, feeling suddenly bashful at the encouragement. "Thanks, Hiyo. I mean it." They exchanged smiles, but Lina could feel that hers didn't quite reach her eyes.

Xelloss grinned, and he gave Hiyo a secret wink as soon as their eyes met. Her momentary glare made his smile widen, and as soon as her eyes became soft again Xelloss gave a small chuckle.

Hiyo turned to Lina, giving her a newly acquired smile. "Hey, you know that we're back in the little town that we passed just before Nara?"

"So?" Lina gurgled through her food.

"So that means that you have a chance to meet that prince, Mr. Fairagg. You know? The one that came to see you while you were sleeping."

"Isn't he still in the hospital?"

"I suppose so, but my father has is out in the city as we speak and I'm sure he's reached the hospital by now. He's probably fine."

"Yeah, guess it wouldn't hurt." Lina shrugged, seemingly uninterested, but deep downs she was at the very least curious to see the son of that king. She felt a strong bond with him, and secretly hoped that he was in the hospital with his son so that they could talk some more.

Just then, Takahashi Sano pushed open the wooden doors to the small cafe with a joyous stride. Hiyo jumped from her chair and into his arms, snuggling her head into his chest. "Daddy!" She squealed excitedly, reminding them all of a tiny golden puppy. Sano smiled proudly, patting her head. "Hello, Hiyo-chan."

His gaze lifted upwards, and his eyes met Lina's. She glared at him, the memory of her first seconds of consciousness after the church fiasco. "Didn't know I'd be seeing you again, old bastard." Lina mumbled grudgingly, turning her head away.

Hiyo spun around, her sky blue eyes turning red with fury. "Ms. Lina! I won't have you talking to my daddy like that!"

Sano only laughed, his eyes crinkling from years of smiling. "It's fine, Hiyo-chan, Ms. Lina and I didn't have such a warm meeting."

His gray eyes rose to meet hers again, this time with an amused twinkle in them. "Hello, little girl."

Lina stuck her tongue out at him, greatly resembling the child he accused her of being.

Hiyo ignored her, turning back to her beloved father. "Daddy, have you been to the hospital near the edge of town yet?"

Sano pursed his lips in thought, and then a slow smile spread over his face. "Why, yes I have. I think it was yesterday."

"Ok, thank you daddy." Hiyo gave him a kiss on his cheek before coming back to sit with the rest of them, her happy mood seemingly returning since his arrival. Sano gave Xelloss a nod, and a grin. "Well, Xelloss, it's nice to see you again."

"The pleasure is mine, Sano-san." Xelloss bowed his head in return.

Giving Zelgadiss a first glance, Sano held his hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you, Mr. ...?"

"Zelgadiss."

"Ah, yes, Zelgadiss. You are the one my daughter spoke so fondly of yesterday."

Both Hiyo and Zel turned bright red, instantly avoiding each others gaze. "Daddy!" Hiyo whined. Sano chuckled, giving Zelgadiss a knowing stare.

Lina laughed, her gaze suddenly meeting Xelloss's. He was staring at her with a strange intent in his now open eyes, and he seemed to be in a faraway place inside his mind. Blinking once, his eyes focused and he smiled lazily at her. She tried to force a smile, but it only felt lopsided and awkward even to her.

Turning away hurriedly, Lina felt her guilt wash over her like a tidal wave. Blocking all thoughts of Xelloss out of her mind for the moment, Lina stared past Zel's head to the window behind him.

After she had finished eating, she would go and see Fairagg.

--

Hahahahahahaha, I guess I was in a giggly mood while writing this? :D


	32. Marriage

**Disclaimer: **Don't own nothing! :D

* * *

"Ah, that was damn good." Lina said, rubbing her stomach as a sign of fulfillment.

Everyone mumbled their agreement, scrapping their chairs back before lifting themselves up to stand. "Off to the hospital, then?" Xelloss asked, more to Lina then to anyone else.

She shrugged before nodding. "I guess so." She paused for a second before continuing. "But I want to go alone."

They all stared at her, their faces showing a mixture of concern and disbelief. Sighing, she waved her hand. "Oh, don't be such babies. I can go alone, I'm a big girl."

None of them looked convinced, and Zel took a nervous step forward. "Lina, I really think you should rest a little more after what happened back at the castle. Your hair hasn't even returned to its natural color yet."

Lina grimaced at the memory, taking a strand of her hair to twirl around her fingers. "Well, at least its not white anymore. For some reason the color came back faster then usual, so I should be back to normal in no time. It only looks a little faded."

Zel's face was still set into a frown, but he turned away with a sense of defeat.

Hiyo gave her a small, unconvincing smile before turning away to hurry up the stairs to her father's room. "Do you mind if I escort you, Lina-san?" Xelloss offered, giving her a smile.

She rolled her eyes, giving him a worn-out look. "Didn't I just say I wanted to go alone?"

"Yes, I know."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Because I wanted to give you a chance to enjoy my company up front. If you don't want me to come that's fine, but I'm sure that you are aware that I'm going to be following you whether you like it or not."

Lina stared at him for a long moment, trying to figure out if he was joking. When she wound up with the conclusion that he wasn't, she sighed and nodded, leading the way to the front door. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't be too much of a pain in the ass, ok? I have a headache already."

OoO

"Is there a Fairagg here, Ms. Nurse Lady?"

The middle-aged woman seated behind the desk looked up at them, her eyes peeking over her tiny red spectacles. Holding up a finger, she looked down at the pad next to her. "Ah, yes. He's in room 202, just down that hall. Last one to the right." She pointed her finger to the hallway behind them, her face never turning into a smile.

Lina nodded, and took Xelloss by the arm to drag him down the corridor. As they walked, an uneasiness fell over them.

Just before they reached the blue door with the numbers '202' imprinted into the wood, Lina stopped abruptly, causing Xelloss to stop as well.

"Lina-san?"

"I meant it when I said I wanted to go alone." Her voice was firm, and the determined gaze she gave him from beneath her fluffy bangs accented her seriousness.

Chewing the inside of his lip for a moment, Xelloss pretended to be deep in thought. After a bit he turned his head to her, smiling. "Very well, Lina-san. I'll be in the lobby when you're ready to leave."

She gave him a smile, and looked both ways down the hall to make sure no one was there. When she had found they were alone, she stepped forward to wrap her tiny arms around his torso in a quick hug, then spun around just as fast and yanked the door open just before slamming it.

Xelloss stared at the closed door for a moment, and then a small smile crept onto his lips slowly. Turning away, he took his time strolling down the ill-carpeted corridor to the waiting room.

"Who's there?" A voice called from the farther part of the room. Lina paused for a moment, deciding whether or not to announce herself.

"L-Lina Inverse?" She offered almost shyly, stepping out of the shadowed doorway and into the florescent light.

Two pairs of strikingly blue eyes stared at her from the other side of the hospital room, and Lina let out a low whistle. "Wow...you're like twins!" Both of them let out a small chuckle, their eyes twinkling simultaneously.

The king stood up, his grin identical to the one spreading across his son's face. There were truthfully only minor differences between them, for instance the king's hair was shorter, and fully aged a deep gray that made his eyes seem even more dashing. Of course the king had many wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, but that didn't make his looks any less handsome.

His son, Fairagg, had a full head of blond hair the color of wheat, and a smile that lacked the charming dimples his father had failed to pass down. The blonde hair was long, and it looked His chin was squared, and there was a 5 o'clock shadow darkening his attractive features. His muscular body imprinted from under the thin hospital sheets made him seem Lina looked downwards to realize that he had been holding out his hand, and she reached to slip her palm above his in a warm handshake.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Ms. Lina. And it's a pleasure to meet you. It was such a disappointment that I couldn't have met you sooner, but last I heard you were under the weather. I hope you are well now." His voice was deep, and how easily her name rolled off his tongue brought a slight shiver up her spine.

"Yeah, same here." Lina responded lamely, her gaze switching to the king as soon as her hand was separated from the prince's. He walked over to take her small hand between his huge, warm ones, just as he had done the day before. "I don't believe that we have properly met, Ms. Inverse. I am Gregory; King of Nara." He gave her another grin.

She returned his smile before taking a seat beside him in one of the hospital chairs. Once they were all settled, and the introductions had ended, Gregory looked to his son with a renewed seriousness. "Fairagg, it is very lucky that Ms. Inverse is here today, because I wanted her to hear this. I have some news that might shock both of you, but I still think it important that I tell you now before she embarks again on her journey."

He sighed, and glanced at Lina before continuing. "My dear son, I regret to say that I have not been the father that you have always needed. Even before my encounter with the spear, I was so wrapped up in my duties that I didn't take time to think about your feelings. When your mother passed away, my fears had come to life as I had to try my best to raise you on my own." He shook his head solemnly, hanging it down low with shame.

"There is something that I have never told you, Fairagg. I have always been very sick, and many years ago my doctor had informed me that this sickness has no cure known to man...even today there is still virtually no hope." His voice had fallen flat, and despite herself Lina felt the tears prick at the back of her eyes.

"What I am trying to say, is that I will die very soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, or even next week. In my wake of terror I sought power, and I was granted a terrible power that has corrupted my beloved kingdom." His head fell into his hands, and Lina turned her head to Fairagg. His face was torn, his eyes sad and broken. The look on his face made her want to embrace them both, and tell them everything was ok.

"Father, it's not your fault. How many times to I have to tell you-"

"Wait, Fairagg, that is not all I have to say." The king held his hand up, his tone firm.

"My one last wish is that once I die, you and Ms. Inverse are to...marry." The hesitation was obvious in his gruff voice.

Lina and Fairagg both stared at him, mouths agape in naked astonishment. Lina jumped from her chair, her hands both placed atop her head in frustration. "But I don't even _know_ him!"

Gregory nodded, sighing heavily. "Yes, I understand that. And I did anticipate this, but I knew even before I met you Ms. Inverse that you would be the one to stand beside my son as queen."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I knew while the spear had control over me that I was in some sort of trouble. My mind might have been in a bit of a fog, I'll admit." He paused to reach into his jacket for a handkerchief that he nervously wiped his forehead with. "But it is done, and in my will it states that unless you marry Ms. Inverse, you will be disowned by the royal family and erased from the will."

Fairagg's face had become flat, and he stared at his father with no expression readable. Lina shook her head. "How did you know my name if you didn't even know who I was yet?"

"I didn't exactly know your name yet, but I wrote that the person that separates me from the spear will be The One."

"How did you know it would be a female?" Fairagg decided to speak now, his voice bordering on just plain pissed.

"Xaldin told me, but he didn't speak of any names." Lina blinked, and a small smile spread onto her face thinking about the 'puppet'.

Her smile disappeared at the realization of reality. "King Gregory, with all due respect, there is no way in hell that I'm marrying your son."

She turned her head to Fairagg. "No offense." A smile finally appeared on his face, and he nodded. "None taken."

"It's just that right now isn't the best of times for this to happen, I'm not exactly single..." She frowned as her voice trailed off, and she started to wonder. Are Xelloss and I a couple?

Gregory smiled a knowing smile, his eyes seemed much duller all of the sudden. "The matrimony doesn't have to take place anytime soon, my child. Take your time in making a final decision. Until you have decided, whether I'm dead or alive, Fairagg will still rule as prince. Your decision can be made tomorrow, or in three years."

Lina held her hand up to protest, but her eyes met Fairagg's, and she saw something desperate deep in his blue eyes. Her mouth closed slowly, and her hand dropped back down to her side. "Could I have a moment alone with Fairagg, Gregory?" The king nodded, lifting himself out of his chair. Giving Lina a supportive pat on the shoulder, he left quietly without making eye contact with his son.

Once they were alone, Lina sighed, collapsing into the chair she had abandoned only moments ago.

Fairagg broke the silence, his face more relaxed now that his father was gone. "I'm sorry about all this, Ms. Lina."

She waved off his apology, a half smile brightening her face. "It's not that big of a deal, your father isn't a bad guy. And call me Lina."

He grinned, nodding. "Alright then, Lina."

They sat in silence again, their gazes holding for an extended moment. Lina looked away, breaking the intense contact. "How do you think we should handle this?"

"Well, I don't see any reason why we can't at least get to know each other a little more so that we can make a solid decision. Now, I know that you aren't in any position to be married to me at the moment. But who says friends can't go out for a cup of tea?" The bright smile that lit up his face almost brought Lina to her knees, but a vivid image of the night before snapped her back to reality.

"Err, that's really sweet of you Fairagg but I'm sort of on a mission right now. In fact I think I'm supposed to be leaving the village soon...maybe even today."

He smiled. "Where is it you're heading?"

The question startled her, but she recovered somewhat quickly. "I don't really know yet, but I'm after something."

Fairagg nodded, understanding by the tone of her voice that she didn't want to go into any further detail. "Then is it alright if I accompany you? I'm actually a very well trained swordsman, and I'll do everything within my power to protect you."

Lina's eyes widened, and she couldn't stop the instant replay that ran through her mind of her and Gourry's first meeting. Tears brimmed her eyes, and Fairagg sat up instantly, his eyes clouded with concern. "I-I'm sorry Lina, I didn't mean to upset you." Lina shook her head, wiping away the annoying tears. "No, no. I just got something in my eye, I'm fine." She tried to give him a smile, but even she knew that it must have looked just as forced as it really was.

He held eye contact with her for a long moment before slowly nodding, as if deciding that her excuse was legitimate enough for his taste. Lina watched him sit back onto the uncomfortable looking hospital pillows, and noticed that his face was slowly falling into a deep frown of what she supposed to be thought.

She watched as a thousand emotions crossed over his face, and took her sweet time noting ever angle and curve of his flawless tanned face. A bit of guilt filled her mind, she'd admit, but this man was god like in every way imaginable...unlike Xelloss.

Xelloss!

Lina hopped out of her chair, nearly falling over herself as she scurried to the door. "Ah, listen Fairagg, I'm really sorry about this but I've got to be going now. Someone is waiting for me in the lobby, and I don't think I should keep him there any longer. I'll try to keep in touch, but I can't promise anything!"

She was in such a rush, that Lina didn't even catch the last words Fairagg uttered just as she slipped through the door.

"I'll have you for my own, Lina Inverse. You'll see."

--

* * *


	33. Memories

**Disclaimer: **Don't own nothing! :D

Note: Heeeeeeeeey, guess what everyone?! My story has been posted onto an archive on a special slayers hentai website! I know that sounds horrible, but really, it has lots of cool stuff:)

(the link is my 'homepage' on my website...;3)

isn't that freaking awesome?! i've read through it and everything, and there are some really talented stories on there and i am so honored to have been asked permission for my story to be there as well. Seriously, you really have to check it out. It's updated monthly from what I can tell, and the guy that owns it is very honorable-for serious.

cheers!

:)

* * *

"Back already, Lina-san?" Xelloss asked a bit sarcastically as Lina ran into the waiting room, her hair a mess and her face a flushed red.

"Sorry, Xelloss. That took longer then I thought it would." She replied between breaths, adding the last part as an afterthought.

Xelloss nodded, watching her. "What did they have to say?"

Lina thanked the gods that her face was already red, because she was betting that a blush was creeping into her cheeks anyway. "Umm, well I met King Gregory's son. He's a very...nice guy." She chose her words carefully, trying to dance around the subject of their conversation.

"Ah, yes. Fairagg, was it? He was indeed a very charming young man. You forget Lina-san, I met him while you were passed out only days ago."

"Right, I forgot." Lina muttered under her breath, turning away. "Well, let's head back now before Hiyo sends her daddy out to look for me."

OoO

"Back so soon, Lina?" Zelgadiss asked, looking up at her over his newspaper.

Lina shrugged, feeling more exhausted than she remembered just from the walk back. Or was it her little episode with her supposed 'fiance'? She shuddered.

"Ms. Lina, you should head up to your room to get some rest. You look awful." Hiyo advised, giving Lina a worried stare.

Lina gave Hiyo an annoyed look. "Gee, thanks, Hiyo. You really know how to make a girl feel better." Turning and heading for the stairs, she didn't give Hiyo a chance to reply.

Hiyo lifted a hand in an attempt to stop her, but Zelgadiss shook his head. "Relax. She's probably just really tired. I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"...But I didn't mean anything by it." Hiyo murmured, lowering her eyes to the table in shame.

Xelloss watched her closely, his eyes catching her every movement. His suspicions were appearing to be confirmed, and it was obvious that something was not right about this innocent little girl. He glanced up at the oblivious chimera seated in front of him and sighed. Maybe not all that obvious.

Even so, this girl was up to something. She was far too nice, too naive, too harmless. In a way, she was very much like him. And that was defientely something that everyone here should be terrified of.

OoO

Lina collaped onto her unmade bed, breathing in the sweet scent of last night's lovemaking. It gave her some comfort to be surrounded by the prescense of Xelloss, even if in reality, he wasn't here at all. To her though, he was still right beside her, his eyes smiling down at her while he brushed her hair behind her ears. When did she fall so in love with him? Since when did she think of him as a support instead of an obstacle?

Everything was happening too fast. This trip, her life, the world. Everything. It seemed like everyone was just slipping by her, leaving her alone to search for her own answers.

Sighing, she sat up, turning to peer out the little window behind her bed. The little people below her skipped by happily, oblivous to the horrors of the world around their tiny little village. It made a tiny part of Lina very jealous to see all of these people so safe in their little bubbles of complete and utter contentment. What was it like to be just like everyone else? To wake up in the morning in the same bed as the night before, to see the shining ocean just over the hills every day of her life? What was it like to be _stable_?

She'd never know.

Because she was special. She was Lina Inverse, one of the most famous sorceresses of the world today. Her life was wrapped into the small bundle she carried on her back everywhere she went, and it was a life she'd never escape...ever.

The weird thing was, she'd never wanted anything more then this kind of life. She had always enjoyed her days as a wanderer; it gave her the only happiness she'd ever known. Or maybe that was because Gourry was there beside her. Yes, that's right. As soon as Gourry left, everything had fallen down around her.

Lina was strong though, and she knew that she would have to get over him one way or another. But was her one way out Xelloss?

"Lina-san?"

She turned her head slowly, the shining amethyst eyes coming into her view. "Hey, Xelloss." She greeted him softly, a smile spreading across her face.

He smiled back, his eyes expressing the concern he was feeling. Apparently Lina had been too deep in thought to hear his entry, and the strong emotions vibrating from her body made him worry.

"Are you ready to leave yet? We think we may have found another piece to the spear." Lina nodded, standing and walking to the chair where she had left her armor. "Where are we going?" She asked while slipping on her special boots.

"Atlas City." There was a long pause, and Lina looked up to find Xelloss staring at her expectantly. "Oh." She answered lamely, looking away while donning the rest of her attire. He watched her silently, his eyes boring into her soul, making her skin crawl.

"Are you all right, Lina-san?"

"I'm fine." She knew that she had answered too fast, and that her voice cracked a little, and she coughed to cover it up, but Xelloss had caught it. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. "You know, Lina-san, it's ok to tell me how you feel. It's a waste of energy to be jealous of ghosts."

She let out a sob, closing her eyes tight. "Xelloss, I know I'm being so unfair, but just the thought of seeing him again...it scares me." She sniffled, and then continued. "I don't know what I would say, or even how to say it. And it feels like I'm being so selfish because I'm here with you, but my heart still knows him. I-I can't deny that."

"It's not like anything is definite Lina. Who knows if you'll see him at all? There are millions of people in Atlas City."

"...Yeah, you're right. Let's just...go..."

"As you wish, Lina-san."

* * *

Just in case you don't remember, Gourry and Sylphiel are in Atlas City together living happily ever after. Oh, dear:)


End file.
